Biography

I graduated from UCSB with a B.S. in Biopsychology in 2014 and worked for Dr. Benjamin Reese at UCSB for the following two years as a research assistant in his retinal development lab. I enrolled in the PhD program in MCDB in 2016 and joined the Rothman lab shortly after. My research interests lie at the intersection of neuroscience, development, and genetics. I am excited to be a worm researcher because C. elegans allows me to use advanced genetic tools ask complex questions about behavior and biology.

In addition to research, I also assist with teaching a number of courses in our department including Neurobiology, Development Lab, Biochemistry, Genetics, and Intro Biology. I enjoy teaching and participate in bringing science education to younger students through ScienceLine, Partners in Education, and other volunteer organizations. After graduation, I plan to stay in academia and continue neuroscience research using C. elegans as a model organism.

Research Area

For my thesis, I am investigating C. elegans graviperception using genetic tools and behavioral analysis. C. elegans is a fascinating model organism in neuroscience research because it uses only 302 neurons to perform a number of complex tasks. I am interested in how these networks develop consistently across individuals and the mechanisms they use to convey information such as the direction of gravity.