I am a plant systematist and evolutionary biologist. I grew up in Juneau, a small town in Wisconsin, where I became fascinated by the natural world through gardening, hiking, and foraging with my dad. Those experiences helped to develop my general interest in plants from early on. After college, I had a job with a biotech company for a few years before I had the inclination to pursue a career working with plants and evolution. For my PhD studies, I moved to Oklahoma and did all kinds of stuff I really wanted to do like sequence DNA, collect plants, travel to crazy places where plants grow, and analyze data.

 

I'm am currently a postdoc with Norm Wickett at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois. I'm working primarily on genome assembly for some Hawaiian endemic species in the genus Schiedea. Last year I completed a postdoc with Dr. Chris Martine at Bucknell University where I worked with an amazing group of student researchers on systematic and evolutionary study of Australian Solanum and a handful of other plant groups including Erigenia and Baptisia.

 

In my free time, I usually hang out with my family (husband Kevin, son Ash, and canine Mattie). When I am able, I enjoy hiking, cooking, and traveling.