I am a Research Scientist in the Waldbauer Lab at the University of Chicago. I have over 10 years of research experience in the field of marine microbial ecology and biogeochemistry, with broad formal training in microbiology, ecology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and oceanography. I have experience working with a range of microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, and unicellular eukaryotes) in both academia and industry.

I was previously an Assistant Professor of Biology at Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL), and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute with Alexandra Worden's molecular microbial ecology group (Moss Landing, CA). I received my bachelor's degree in Biology from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA and completed my Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine with Dr. Steve Allison.