Research Interests
The coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi (E. huxleyi) plays a prominent role in carbon cycle dynamics due to its unique ability to fix carbon dioxide and produce calcium carbonate liths. E huxleyi is regularly terminated by coccolithoviruses (EhVs), which has provided a fantastic model system to study the mechanisms behind cell infection. I have been exploring this E. huxleyi-EhV host-virus relationship in the hopes of understanding how viruses can impact calcification, and on a greater scale, how they can regulate the oceanic carbon cycle.
Short History
I graduated from Rutgers in May of 2013 with a dual major in biological oceanography and German literature. After graduation I worked in Dr. Kay Bidle’s lab exploring the unique connection between viruses and calcification in E. huxleyi. In July of 2015 I left the Bide lab to work as a flow cytometry technician at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. At the Whitehead Institute I helped support a large research staff studying various diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and some cancers. I left the Whitehead in August 2016 to begin working on my PhD here at Rutgers. Outside of the lab I enjoy relaxing at the beach, staying active, cooking, hanging out with my family, and reading.
Education
2013, BS, Biological Oceanography and German Literature, Rutgers University