I grew up (upstate) and lived (upstate and NYC) in New York until I moved to Philly in 2015. My research interests over time have varied widely, but they started and ended with a focus on genetics and immunology. Before and during one summer in college, I worked with Dr. Jason Blackard at the University of Cincinnati to study the phylogenetics of GB virus C. I then took an interest in biofuels and worked with Dr. David Wilson at Cornell to study the enzymology of cellulose degradation.  Also at Cornell, I worked on an undergraduate research project team at Cornell to develop an arsenic-specific biosensor by genetically modifying the electroactive bacterium Shewynella oneidensis. After college, I worked for two years as a lab manager for Dr. Esi Lamouse Smith at Columbia University studying how antibiotic treatment of pregnant moms impacts the developing immune systems of their babies using mouse models.