I grew up in the Boston area and moved to Pittsburgh where I studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. It was here that I  found my passion for computational fluid dynamics while working as an undergraduate researcher with Dr. Hessam Babaee.

I moved across the state to attend the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, where I was advised by Dr. George Ilhwan Park. Under his guidance, I grew as a researcher and cultivated a deep knowledge of turbulence and numerical modeling. At Penn, I met Dr. Doug Jerolmack, whom I collaborated with on projects related to turbulent flow over sand dunes, and through him I became fascinated with geophysics. I was fortunate to have Dr. Jerolmack, as well as Dr. Paulo Arratia, serve on my thesis committee, with discussions during the closed door session of my defense resulting in a collaboration between the four of us, published in Physical Review Fluids (see Cooke, Park, Jerolmack, and Arratia, 2025).

My experiences led me to find a postdoctoral position in physical oceanography at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography.  Now working with observationalists Dr. Kathy Donohue and Dr. Randy Watts, I am using my knowledge of computational modeling to demonstrate the need to assimilate deep observations into forecasting models, while gaining knowledge of  a new field of research. 

Outside of the academic space, I enjoy spending time with my fiancee, Geneva, and our highly energetic Toy Aussie, Luna. We love to travel to new places and experience local cultures through food. I enjoy staying active by lifting weights, hiking with Luna, or playing  hockey, and I am an avid Boston sports fan.