I am a PhD candidate at the University of New Hampshire under the supervision of Dr. Bonnie Brown in the department of biology. Broadly, I am currently studying eastern oyster population genomics and their responses to stressors, such as disease. My work seeks to uncover new knowledge regarding population structure of eastern oysters in a well-mixed estuarine system (Great Bay Estuary, NH, USA). Additionally, I use theoretical modeling to estimate population trends based on current ecological knowledge. Finally, I utilize transcriptomics and epigenetics to study eastern oyster responses to stressors and how that varies across lineages.
I earned my MSc in integrative and organismal biology at the University of New Hampshire studying temporal dynamics of eastern oyster larval abundances in Great Bay Estuary as well as infection etiology of MSX and Dermo on eastern oysters. I earned my BS in genetics at Clemson University, with minors in biochemistry and Spanish.
In addition to research, I enjoy creating and volunteering with outreach opportunities. Most recently, I designed and successfully deployed an outreach opportunity, titled “Day as a Scientist”, which focused on bringing a minority-serving school district to Jackson Estuarine Lab (affiliated with UNH) to conduct their own science experiments, under the supervision of numerous graduate student researchers. For more information, click here to read a press release from UNH regarding the event.