The Advantage of Not Fitting In

Being an outsider lets you invent your own systems

Photo:
mediaphotos / Getty Images

When I think about how I’ve approached my career, I am reminded of that famous Groucho Marx joke: “Why would I want to be in a club that would accept me as a member?” But my accidental embrace of outsiderdom never came from a place of self-deprecation or defiance. Over time, I’ve found a real advantage in not fitting in.

I work as a physics professor at Brown University, directing a research group working at the interface of cosmology, particle physics, and quantum gravity. I’m also a jazz musician. (If you ever visit Providence, Rhode Island, you’re welcome to stop by the local restaurant where my friends and I perform.)

My career has been shaped by the challenge of figuring out how to navigate those two, seemingly divergent worlds — and the fact that I never quite fit the stereotype of either a theoretical physicist or a jazz musician to begin with. Along the way, I’ve learned to see my unusual combination of experiences and skills as my secret weapon as a theoretical physicist.

I was born in Trinidad and moved with my family to New York City when I was eight. I attended public schools in the Bronx where, during my early years, I was just an average student. I liked playing basketball and the saxophone.