I study high pressure and high temperature states of matter in the laboratory to address questions of scientific and technological interest.  I am interested in materials relevant to natural systems such as planetary interiors and to technologies such as energetic materials and inertial confinement fusion.  I develop and use ultrafast methods to create, sustain, and study extreme states.  These techniques use the diamond-anvil cell (static compression) and laser-driven shock compression (dynamic compression) to generate particular extreme states.  I visit facilities worldwide for access to high power laser systems, synchrotron radiation, and other special instrumentation.  I characterize fundamental material properties including strength, elastic moduli, optical properties, and melting points and examine how extreme conditions can be used to synthesize new materials.