I am interested in landscape-level ecology and identifying how the environment has influenced evolution across wide-ranging time scales. My interest in landscape genomics brought me to the Molecular Ecology Lab, where I started as a research technician working on various genomic datasets before beginning my Ph.D. in the same lab in 2023.

I received my bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Rocky Mountain College, with a focus on wildlife ecology and conservation. After graduating, I spent five years working various wildlife research technician positions in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii, including work with spotted owls and seabirds. I then pursued my master’s degree in biology at Northern Michigan University, where I studied population genetics and evolution of pikas (Ochotona), primarily focusing on genotype-environment associations in the American pika. I am excited to make the switch to researching the tremendous biodiversity available to entomologists. Like with pikas, I will continue researching Holarctic montane species for my Ph.D., which have a fascinating relationship with extreme environmental stressors, migrations across Beringia, and glacial refugial distributions.

I like to spend as much of my free time outside as a I can. While I enjoy most outdoor recreation activities that I can share with my dog, I especially like backpacking, trail running, birding, mushroom hunting, XC skiing, and canoeing/kayaking. I enjoy cooking and have a growing obsession with wild foraging ingredients. I also like live music and warm evenings on the Terrace. Like many, I love spending time in and around mountains and ocean, but I have been beyond impressed by the unique ecology and beauty of the Great Lakes since moving to this region from Oregon. Finally, if you ever want to talk shop about genomics, feel free to reach out! It seems like more and more projects are incorporating these tools, and I’m always excited to exchange ideas.