My attraction to biological research stems primarily from the excitement of answering important scientific questions using information already present in an organism's evolutionary history. A few areas of research interest of mine include ecology, conservation, and epigenetics. I use tools like computational phylogenetic analysis and comparative genomics in my research.
I began my work with the Brown Lab in January 2012 while pursuing a degree in Animal Science & Technology. In May 2012 I was awarded a SURE (Supervised Undergraduate Research Experience) Fellowship from the Louisiana Board of Regents. Under this grant I began a collaborative research project with César Sánchez, a Ph.D. student at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, studying the evolution rates and phylogenetic signals in vocalizations of the bird genus Catharus. Upon receiving my Bachelor of Science from LSU in December 2012 I was hired on as a Research Associate in the Brown Lab to continue my work with Cathrus vocalizations.
In March 2013 I was accepted to the Ph.D. program at LSU's Biological Science Department. I was awarded a Huel-Perkins Diversity Fellowship in April 2013. When I return to LSU to pursue my Ph.D. I will be studying in the lab of Maheshi Dassanayake.
In my spare time I enjoy birdwatching, backpacking, biking, and traveling with my husband Noah.