I am originally from Old Lyme, a small coastal town in Connecticut. Growing up on the ocean, I developed an early passion for marine biology. During high school I completed a summer marine science program at UConn Avery Point and volunteered at the Mystic Aquarium. I attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington for undergrad and received a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Spanish Language. While at UNCW, I completed an honors research thesis in the lab of Dr Joseph Covi studying seasonal variation of molting hormones in blue crabs. I also had the opportunity to spend a semester studying Spanish at the University of Sevilla in Sevilla, Spain.
I moved to the triangle in 2016 and joined the Luftig lab as a research technician where I began my research on EBV-associated gastric cancer. This work has primarily been focused on better understanding the role of viral infection in driving tumorigenesis in the gastric epithelium, and identifying cellular restriction factors of infection. Since joining the lab as a PhD student in 2018, my research has evolved to also include a project focused on elucidating mechanisms of drug resistance in PIK3CA mutant gastric cancers.
Outside of lab I am very active and love to hike and camp, rock climb and play beach volleyball. I play ultimate frisbee competitively and am on the Raleigh Phoenix, a women’s club team, and the Raleigh Radiance, a women’s semi-professional team. I have a black lab/corgi mix named Summer who joins me and my partner on a lot of our adventures and travels. I also enjoy cooking, baking, reading (both fiction and nonfiction), and playing board games with friends.
