Profile
Originally from Vacaville, California I spent my childhood and young adult years exploring the outdoors, playing sports, and developing budding interests in topics ranging from classic cars to science. After completing community college, I continued to pursue my academic goals at UCSD as a cell biology/biochemistry major. Here I refined my interest in biology and developed an appreciation for the global importance of environmental microorganisms. As an undergraduate, I first interned and then worked in a marine microbiology laboratory where I continued on as a graduate student. I am currently working towards a Ph.D in Marine Biology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, focusing on the microbial ecology of bacteria in coastal and open ocean ecosystems. Specifically, I study how the metabolism and microenvironments of these organisms influence the cycling of carbon produced by marine phytoplankton. It has been my pleasure to inform and discuss the importance of our role as co-inhabitants and stewards of this planet with people of all ages, nationalities, and identities. I hope to continue imparting my knowledge to future generations and contemporaries with the goal of developing novel, efficient, and responsible approaches for solving problems associated with atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and biofuel energy utilization. I look forward to collaborations afforded by my acceptance into the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society.
