I am an Astronomer studying transient phenomena associated with the deaths of massive stars and the thermonuclear explosions of white dwarfs. Recently, I have been obtaining observations of supernovae discovered within a couple of days of explosion in order to identify the progenitor stars, determine the dynamics of the pre-SN phase, and to understand the underlying explosion physics. Research efforts are also placed on type Ia supernovae cosmology and mapping out the peculiar velocity field of our home supercluster Laniakea.