Kelli fell in love with science research as an undergraduate at Iona University, where she studied the bacterium, Myxococcus xanthus. Through her research, she has had the opportunity to present at local, national and international conferences, as well as was a fellow for the American Society for Microbiology. She has also published a science education case study, which is published in the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science. The 2024-2025 school year marks her third year as a Science Research Teacher!