I am interested in understanding how animal development is regulated at the genetic level. I have worked on several different aspects of animal development during my career, such as embryonic patterning, germline stem cell regulation, sex determination, and most recently, the regulation of nervous system development.

Through my research, I aim to further our understanding of important biological questions while simultaneously engaging and training undergraduate students in the lab.

I use Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans; a roundworm) as a model organism for research. There are many advantages to using C. elegans as a model for understanding nervous system development. For example, the worm is transparent, which facilitates direct observation of neurons in a living animal. Importantly, many of the genes and genetic pathways that control worm development are also conserved in humans, such that the knowledge we gain about the worm often impacts our understanding of human biology as well.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Ph.D., Developmental Genetics

Research Technician

BA, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

2004–2008

1999–2004

1998–1999

1994–1998

Education and Training