I am a scientist with a background in plant-infecting viruses and their effects on cultivated and (especially) wild plants. For my PhD research, I studied the ecology and epidemiology of a crop virus in wild systems using molecular tools to detect viral infections under the guidance of Dr. Kerry Mauck. Through my graduate work, I’ve gained experience and skills across multiple disciplines.
In general, I am interested in data analysis and visualization. I enjoy working with data on infectious diseases, with a special focus on arthropod-borne pathogens and their vectors.
Where am I now?
I am currently a Scientist in R&D Infectious Disease at Quest Diagnostics. I now work with serology assays and infectious disease diagnostics - a very different group of “bugs” from my dissertation. In my current role, I develop new assays and analyze data for validation experiemnts and to understand trends in test performance.
Education
University of California, Riverside
Entomology, Ph.D.
2016-2021
University of California, Irvine
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, B.S.
2011-2015