He was born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA where he attended The Ocean Lakes High School Math and Science Academy and was a member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 12. In 2007 he attained the rank of Eagle Scout and graduated from Ocean Lakes. From there he attended the University of Virginia where he double majored in mathematics and computer science. He graduated with distinction in 2011. He received his Masters in Computer Science in 2013. He defended his dissertation in 2017. Currently he is researching in the fields of applied algorithms, automata theory, and heterogeneous computing. He is also a curator of the UVA Computer Science Department's Computing Museum. His hobbies include: fishing, hiking, camping, SCUBA diving, cooking, photo-bombing, and socializing.