About Me

I’m in my first year of a Postdoc position at the University of Southern California in the Fuhrman lab. I am interested in using metagenomics to facilitate a better understanding of the distribution of marine microbes, why they are where they are, and to better understand the roles they play in major global biogeochemical cycles.

​

I was inspired to pursue a research career during my undergrad years when I did a few volunteer research projects. I had a great PhD student, William King, mentor me through these, which was quite inspiring. We worked on figuring out the roles of various genes within the integron of Vibrio cholerae. 

​

During my PhD I researched microbial hazards in coastal environments, using microbial source tracking techniques to determine water quality in coastal areas. The project has a strong focus on pathogenic bacteria and bacteria associated with pollutants in stormwater and sewage overflow. I also researched the ecological patterns of the pathogenic genus of bacteria, Vibrio. I was attracted to this research topic because being someone who surfs most mornings, coastal water quality is important to me.