Hello! I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia, USA and was recruited to pursue a PhD while working for Dr. Leask as a research technician during her time at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I received my Bachelors of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2022 and spent my first year post-grad working under Dr. Summer Thyme researching the role of microexons and their relationship to autism before beginning my work with Dr. Leask in 2023. My PhD focuses on utilizing a novel mechanism of genetic modeling in zebrafish, named pIGLET, to characterize variants within the non-coding genome specific to Māori and Pacific populations. I have enjoyed getting to explore Dunedin and many of the other sites and cities Aotearoa has to offer alongside learning how to skateboard and cooking new dishes for my partner and I. Lastly, one of my favorite Pokemon is Jirachi and I carry its radiant card on the back of my phone for good luck :)
ENHANCE Lab