My journey to science started in a closet.
In my junior year of high school, I asked my biology teacher how eye color impacts night vision. When we couldn’t find an answer he helped me design and implement a series of experiments that could be run out of the biology classroom’s storage closet, and I never turned back.
I earned my B.S. in Biophysics at the College of William & Mary where I continued to build on my interest in the structures that capture light. I completed an honors dissertation exploring whether diatoms, a type of single-cell algae that are extremely effective at capturing light, could be used to enhance the efficiency of solar panels.
As a Ph.D. student, I became more interested in the components which make up light: electricity and magnetism. My research interests shifted to learning about how animals perceive the electromagnetic spectrum and use it to perform complex behavioral tasks. Specifically, my research interests now focus on how animals use magnetic and electric cues to navigate and orient in the natural world. This work has also led me to branch into exploring the ways animals utilize group information to overcome noise and uncertainty. Click on my research tab to learn more!
In addition to research, I also love to share science with others. I have been involved in several journalism and communications internships, publishing works online with the Pulitzer Center for International Crises Reporting, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Visit the “Science Communication Publications” section of my CV page to read some of the pieces I have written!
