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 evolutionary biology sparked during my master's and PhD studies in Ines Drinnenberg’s lab at Institut Curie in Paris. Here, I became fascinated to understand why proteins that are considered to be universally essential, could be lost independently multiple times during the evolution. My PhD research focused on characterizing the kinetochore, a multiprotein complex crucial for chromosome segregation. I investigated how the kinetochore is assembled in certain species when its cornerstone protein has been evolutionarily lost while others are still present. I then joined the Ma lab at the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge as a postdoc, during which time I investigated sperm development in fruit flies to reveal the molecular and evolutionary mechanisms underlying maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA. At the end of 2023, I joined the Schroeder lab where I am now uncovering the functions of divergent cytoskeletal proteins with testis-enriched expression. Here, I combine my interests in evolutionary biology and sperm development. Outside the lab, I enjoy reading, watching TV series, chatting with my family and friends, and trying the local bakeries with the eventual goal of finding the best place in town for French pastries.

I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2022 with a major in Biochemistry. I gained my first research experience working with poison frogs, Epipedobates anthonyi, and researching their chemical defense system. Towards the end of my undergraduate career, I aided in research involving Arabidopsis thaliana and its drought stress response to climate change. In this lab, I explore divergent actin related proteins (ARPs) in humans and their impact on cancer! I enjoy the interdisciplinary approach to science, and I am excited to further my goals into research. In my free time I enjoy reading, traveling (picture is from Taal Lake!), trying new places to eat, and spending time with friends and family.

I’ve worked at UTSW for 2 years. I began my Research Tech journey in Dean Smith’s lab where we studied chemosensory behavior and signal transduction in Drosophila. We published our paper on ANCE-3 in June 2023—go check it out! I joined the Schroeder lab in January 2023 where I study diversification of Arp2/3. Outside of the lab, I enjoy traveling, hiking, and spending time with my friends and family.

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

Amgen Scholar and Summer Undergraduate Researcher (2022)