I am a Ph.D. student investigating microzooplankton diversity and community structure as part of the NASA EXPORTS program. I am interested in using molecular techniques to characterize the microzooplankton community and associated trophic dynamics that influence carbon cycling in the Pacific and Atlantic EXPORTS campaigns. Prior to joining the Rynearson lab, I spent two years at Massachusetts General Hospital in Huntington’s disease lab as a stem cell culture and electron microscopy technician. I have previously worked on projects studying juvenile pacific salmon re-colonization, harmful algal bloom detection, and microplastic pollution related to seabird death. In my free time I enjoy cooking and reading about invertebrate intelligence.