My research interests currently revolve around biodiversity and public health. I am particularly interested in the systematics and ecology of ticks – understanding how the environment and genetics play a role in the distributions and success of vectors, their interactions with and vector competence for pathogens, and the effects of their activity on humans, at individual, population, and species scales. Over the next few years, I will be investigating genomic and transcriptomic differences between various generalist and specialist Ixodes species, to better understand what affects the range of hosts ticks can parasitize.

I grew up in California and started my entomology studies at UC Berkeley with ground beetle taxonomy, but I developed a fascination with ticks over the last few years so I am here studying them now. Outside of academics, I love cooking, bug photography, bouldering, music, reading, and coding.