How/Why Research? When I came to UNC, I knew that I wanted to do “something” in biology, but I was not entirely sure of which direction I would take. In my first semester, I took a marine sciences first-year seminar course with Dr. Martens, and that class inspired me to pursue marine research. I got my current research position by talking to Dr. Teske after one of his guest lectures in a class that I was taking (Oceanography).
Research Experience: In Spring 2022, I joined the Teske Lab in the Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences. After that semester, I spent three weeks onboard the R/V Endeavor as a part of an oceanographic research expedition with the Arnosti Lab (also in EMES) and international collaborators. Once I returned to land, I was off to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to work with the Lloyd Lab as a part of an NSF REU program. In Knoxville, I investigated the microbial communities found in Svalbard permafrost. Once the summer was over, I returned to the Teske Lab where I continue to study the microbiology of hydrothermal vents and deep subsurface sediments in the Guaymas Basin. My research experience has allowed me to develop my wet lab (ex. DNA extraction) and computational skills (ex. Sequence analysis).
Student Organizations/Clubs: Tri-Beta Biology Honors Society, Geology Club, Carolina Analytics & Data Science
Also Happy to Chat about: Emailing Professors, Talking with Professors, Networking, Fitting Research into a Busy Schedule
Random Fun Fact: I like to go fly fishing.