I completed a B.Sc. degree in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Cellular & Developmental biology from California State University, Fullerton. My undergraduate research experience included ion channel physiology and gene editing in protozoan parasites, developmental genetics in C. elegans, cuttlefish neuroscience, and venom evolution in cephalopods. This wide array of experiences has led to a deep appreciation for organismal diversity.

Now as a PhD student in the department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology I am hoping to elucidate the genetic, evolutionary, and physical mechanisms underlying biological novelty. After my first year in the program, I realized that I wanted to pursue the study of animal behaviour as non-invasively as possible, and therefore moved from the Extavour lab, to the lab of Naomi Pierce.