I am a PhD candidate and NSF-GRFP Fellow in Dr. Santiago Herrera's research lab at Lehigh University. My research has brought me to hydrothermal vents in the Eastern Pacific and to mesophotic and deep-sea coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico and the greater Caribbean. I use various genomic methods to study the dispersal, recruitment, and connectivity of benthic invertebrates, while also contributing to our lab's broader efforts in biodiversity assessment through molecular techniques.

Working in deep-sea environments has given me experience with diverse sampling approaches and analytical methods, from traditional collection techniques to newer molecular tools that help us understand these difficult-to-access ecosystems. This interdisciplinary exposure has strengthened both my primary research and my contributions to collaborative projects within our research group.

I grew up in metro Detroit and later moved to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to attend Northern Michigan University, where I studied ecology and mathematics. Upon graduation, I was a guest student at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where I fell in love with larval ecology and the deep sea. Conducting science at great depths requires creativity and an understanding of electronics, and I was fortunate to gain robotics skills as a laboratory technician at Harvard University. These experiences have shaped my approach to marine science, allowing me to appreciate the technical challenges of studying Earth's most remote ecosystems.

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I am currently seeking postdoctoral opportunities where I can leverage and expand my genomics skills across diverse biological systems(metabarcoding, RADseq population genomics, and long-read/ single-cell RNA sequencing).

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