About

I am a microbial and computational biologist with extensive training in ecology and statistics. I am broadly interested in building bioinformatics tools to aid microbiological research. In my graduate research, I am using phylogenetic methods to develop software for predicting functional traits of prokaryotic taxa uncovered in microbiome surveys. As a first-generation college student, I am deeply passionate about science education and empowering students of all backgrounds to view themselves as capable learners of biology, statistics, and programming.

I am currently a Biology PhD candidate at the University of Oregon in the Louca lab. For my dissertation, I am working with a large team of undergraduates to build a phenotypic database of metabolic traits of prokaryotes, and using these data as a central resource in a software that predicts the functional traits of OTUs in 16S-based microbiome studies.

In 2020, I earned my B.S. with Honors in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources with a minor in Statistics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. For my honors thesis, I worked with Dr. Myla Aronson to study the phenotypic traits of the world’s most common urban plant species. In 2019, I was an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates scholar in Dr. Britt Koskella’s lab at UC Berkeley. During this fellowship, I worked with Dr. Kyle Meyer to study how plant neighborhoods influence phyllosphere microbiome assembly.

Outside of academics, I enjoy running, weightlifting, hiking, and backpacking. I’m also an avid music listener, self-taught music producer, and DJ. I host a music show on the University of Oregon campus radio, KWVA Eugene 88.1FM.

Education & Training

• PhD in Biology, expected June 2026

  University of Oregon, Institute of Ecology and Evolution

• BS with Honors in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, 2020

  Rutgers University-New Brunswick