Dan is an Educational Designer with the NSF NCAR Education, Engagement & Early-Career Development team where he focuses on film production and other multimedia forms of education and engagement. He holds a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Colorado Boulder and A.B.s in physics and art history from Rollins College.

While at Rollins, Dan developed a love of science, art, travel, and the outdoors. He pursued these interests by double majoring, as well as studying abroad at the Edinburgh College of Art and the University of Sydney. Dan spent three summers as an undergraduate research assistant, combining high-speed photography and lasers to study the vibrations of musical instruments. After graduating, Dan entered a doctoral program at the University of Colorado, where he specialized in seismology. His work took him across the globe to New Zealand, Nepal, South Africa, and even to a research vessel in the Pacific Ocean. In the field, he installed seismometers and magnetotelluric instrumentation, and helped run sonar lines and collect water samples on glaciers.

While completing his dissertation, Dan became interested in science communication, particularly through film, in which he has now been working full-time since 2016. In addition to his work with NSF NCAR, Dan is also a cinematographer and editor at his company Provare Media.