My high school chemistry teacher made me really love science. I went to school on the pre-med track and after my first year of college, I thought I wanted to be a pediatrician. After an emotionally harrowing shadowing experience, I decided patient care wasn't for me. I still wanted to help children and still had a passion for science and learning. I went back to school the following semester and declared biology as my major.  A few years later, I wound up at the University of Virginia in the Biomedical Sciences Program. I made some great friends, learned a lot, got my Ph.D. and volunteered with many local science outreach programs. I'm currently working in an amazing lab with great people at UVa, and love to learn something new every day. The plan is to make it to the PNW one day, postdoc there for a few years and then transition into a position as a professor at a small liberal arts college. I'd love to help students fall in love with science the same way my professors at Juniata College helped me.

My scientific interests are below. Feel free to peruse and reach out with questions, comments, or ideas! Sharing science is a great way to advance human knowledge!