Faculty Profiles

I am interested in understanding the cell biology and evolution of symbiosis between animals and photosynthetic algae by using cutting-edge molecular biology and imaging techniques. I am thrilled to be joining the Biology Department in Spring of 2027 and offer my first course, Symbiosis (BIOL 347), where we will explore the diversity of symbiotic interactions and gain the appreciation that symbiosis is a rule of life. In my research lab, we will use functional genetics and advanced imaging techniques to investigate the biology of several critters that form symbiotic relationships with algae, including sea anemones and sea slugs, to understand how these partnerships work at a molecular and cellular level. I will be coming to you from the University of California, Berkeley where I am finishing my postdoctoral research. Prior, I obtained my PhD in Integrative Biology at Oregon State University and my B.S. in Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I am most proud of the recent publication of my postdoctoral work, which involved the collaboration of several talented graduate students and research technicians in the lab. In this work, we uncovered the evolutionary and cellular basis of symbiosis in corals and sea anemones using a combination of proteomics, super-resolution confocal microscopy, RNAi, and CRISPR/Cas9-mutagenesis. This work will form the basis of my continuing research at Reed College. You can read more about it here.