I have a passion for using evolution to inform cytoskeletal protein function. I started my lab at UT Southwestern in Nov. 2021, and we combine biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, and evolutionary analyses to uncover how cytoskeletal proteins adapt and innovate function in diverse tissue and cell types. Outside the lab, I enjoy biking, indoor rock climbing, hiking, spoiling my dog, and trying new craft beers with my husband.

Education:

B.S. in Biochemistry, University of Virginia

M.Phil in Biochemistry, University of Cambridge

Ph.D. in Biochemistry, UC San Francisco

Postdoc training in evolution and genetics, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

My interest in cells started at UNC-Chapel Hill when I joined the lab of Paul Maddox, where I used C. elegans to study how centrosome positioning is regulated during mitosis. After graduating from Chapel Hill in 2019 with a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry, I spent two years at the National Cancer Institute in the lab of Alex Kelly studying chromosome condensation with Xenopus egg extracts. Now, as a joint graduate student in the labs of Courtney Schroeder and Luke Rice, I am investigating the role and function of divergent tubulins in germline and cancer biology while also using these divergent tubulins as model for understanding cytoskeletal evolution and their effects on microtubule biology.

My interest in science began in my hometown of Hamilton, Montana. Despite being a small town, there is an NIH lab and scientists from here inspired me to study biology at Carroll College. After graduating with my B.A. in biology and public health, I returned to my hometown and worked for two years at the NIH in the lab of Katy Bosio, studying how Francisella tularensis is able to evade the host’s innate immune response. As a graduate student, I am looking at divergent Arps in Drosophila. Outside of the lab, I enjoy running, rock climbing, crocheting, and spending time with my cat Trip.

My interest in evolution sparked during my PhD, when I joined Ines Drinnenberg's lab at the Institut Curie in Paris. There, I was fascinated to understand why proteins that are considered universally essential can be lost during evolution. For my PhD project, I focused on understanding how the kinetochore, a multiprotein complex crucial for cell division, is assembled when its cornerstone protein is lost while the rest of its proteins are still present. After my PhD, I joined Ma's lab at the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge to study mitochondrial DNA transmission and why mitochondrial DNA is maternally inherited in most eukaryotes. At the end of 2023, I joined the Schroeder lab, where I study divergent cytoskeletal proteins to discover their function. Here I can perfectly combine my passion for evolution and spermatogenesis. Outside the lab, I enjoy reading, watching series and chatting with my family and friends.

My interest in biology began in the Microbiology class I took during my undergraduate at the University of Dallas. Working as a TA for biology labs and doing research in Dr. Saadia Bihmidine’s lab grew my love for science even more! The project I worked on in Dr. Bihmidine’s lab was predicting the biological function of SWEET genes in Pisum Sativum, the garden pea. After graduating in the Spring of 2024 with a BS in Biology and a Molecular Biology concentration, I joined the Schroeder Lab! In our lab, I study the diversification of Arp2/3 and how various flavors of Arp2 impact fertility and development in flies. Outside of lab, I love doing yoga, art, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family!

First Research Technician in the lab (2021-2022), now in medical school

Amgen Scholar and Summer Undergraduate Researcher (2023)

Research Technician II (2023-2024), now a PhD student at UT Southwestern

Research Technician II in the lab (2022-2024), now a PhD student at Northwestern University

Amgen Scholar and Summer Undergraduate Researcher (2024)