About Me

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, my interest in the field of marine biology started with a fascination of Discovery Channel shows, a love of Free Willy, and summers spent fishing and swimming in the lakes and rivers of Wisconsin.

In 2011, I received my B.S. in Marine Biology from Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) and gained hands on experience in marine mammal anatomy and physiology by participating in the HPU marine mammal stranding program. In 2016, I obtained my M.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. My M.S. research focused on analyzing stress-related and reproductive hormones extracted from Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) bone, as part of the WALRUS project. After graduation, I worked at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game extracting and measuring steroid hormones in pinniped whiskers and terrestrial mammal tissues (e.g., wolf claws). In 2022, I was awarded my Ph.D. in Biology from Baylor University, where my research focused on measuring steroid hormones, stable isotopes, and trace elements from chronologically grown tissues in marine vertebrates.

Currently, I am a National Academies NRC Postdoctoral Researcher under Northwest Fisheries Science Center Research Scientist Dr. Kathi Lefebvre in Seattle, WA. Dr. Lefebvre leads an extensive and collaborative ECOHAB project (with over 10 different community/researcher institutions) that targets the characterization of harmful algal bloom (HAB) species in Alaskan waters, models the movement of algal toxins throughout Alaskan food webs, and assesses possible health risks to humans. Under Dr. Lefebvre, my primary research focuses on using food web samples collected from research cruises in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas to develop algal toxin trophic transfer models among important food chains in Alaskan waters. To learn more about the important work we’re doing in this project, see my Current Research page.