About

I’m a PhD Candidate in the Department of Microbiology at Cornell University where I work with Dr. Esther Angert. I study symbiotic intestinal bacteria associated with herbivorous fish inhabiting coral reef ecosystems. My dissertation research uses bioinformatics tools to elucidate the role of these bacteria in the breakdown of complex algal polysaccarides in the fish diet and to explore the diversity of the fish gut microbiota. I am also interested in biology education research and have been involved in projects including creating and evaluating a lesson about biodiversiy loss with Dr. Michelle Smith and implementing the use of 3D-printed cell models to teach cell size, diffusion, and translation. I am passionate about biology education and outreach and have taught introductory biology in the Cornell Prison Education Program and planned programming for women, gender minorities, and other historically excluded groups in STEM through my position on the board of Cornell Graduate Women in Science.

I am originally from Savage, Minnesota and attended Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota where I completed a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry and a B.A. in English with a Professional Writing Concentration. In my free time, I enjoy cooking and baking, hiking, reading, and playing tennis.