Biography
My love of disease ecology started here at Oberlin College, where I worked with Prof. Mary Garvin on West Nile virus in the mosquito Culiseta melanura. From that point on, all my research has focused on the interactions between vector-borne pathogens and the hosts they infect, including West Nile, dengue, and malaria. This research has allowed me to perform field work not only in the US but also in Thailand and Malawi. Vector-borne pathogens provide a unique opportunity to combine knowledge from all levels of biology, from molecular biology and biochemistry up to organismal biology and ecology to understand how pathogens, their hosts and the environment interact to promote the spread of disease. Currently, I’m interested in studying the function of the mosquito immune system and interactions between the mosquito and bacteria they encounter in the environment.
In addition to my research, I work hard to incorporate best practices into my teaching to make classes inclusive, accessible, and instructive to all of my students. For instance, I like to ask students what they are interested in so that I can use relevant examples during class time. Similarly, I try to make my classes active, rather than just lecturing, so that students can apply their knowledge and practice critical thinking skills. I am also interested performing biology education research to understand what does, or doesn’t, work to help students truly learn biology.
In addition to my research and teaching, I enjoy reading, running, baking bread, and being outside in general.
