About Me

I discovered my passion for science in high school and decided to pursue a B.S. in Biochemistry at university. This was despite my parents having no science expertise or interest.

In college I fell in love with research and decided to pursue a Ph.D. through a collaborative program between Tufts University’s School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences and The Jackson Laboratory.

My dissertation research was done in the laboratory of Dr. Derry Roopenian where I focused on using genetic tools to understand aspects of immunology. My work specifically focused on a type of CD4+ T cell known as a T-follicular helper, their role in normal immunity, and how they can contribute to autoimmune disease.

Following my defense I did a postdoctoral research fellowship in the lab of Dr. Dustin Updike. My work was supported during this time by an NIH NRSA F32 Fellowship. My research was focused on understanding how germ granules help maintain cellular pluripotency.

I then became an Assistant Professor and coordinator of the Pre-medicine program where I taught a variety of science classes such as microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, general biology and molecular biology.

I am also a passionate science communicator and have spent much of my free time working to make science accessible and understandable to everyone. Examples of these efforts can be found on instagram or under talks and publications.

This passion for public science communication and education led me to resign from my faculty position to spearhead the development of science outreach and educational programing that incorporates real research when possible, and hands on science activities.

When I am not working I am a wife, a mother of two, runner, hiker and a reader.