After receiving my Bachelors from the University of North Carolina, I trained at the National Institutes of Health in a Drosophila developmental biology lab. I then joined a crystallography lab and completed my Masters in Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology. Here at CRI, I am the research engineer for the SynFlyLab headed by Dr. Radek Ejsmont. Our lab focuses on developing synthetic biology tools to manipulate and engineer gene regulatory pathways in Drosophila melanogaster. My role is to support the operations of the lab and its students by maintaining lab stocks, mentoring interns and undergraduates, and supporting the experimental work of PhD students. My main project involves engineering novel metabolic pathways in Drosophila eye pigment cells to create flies with unnaturally colored eyes.
Originally from the United States, I've lived in North Carolina, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles. I love traveling and meeting new people as well as learning about different cultures and trying new foods!