Education & Experience
Education
August 2020 - August 2025 (Projected)
Purdue University
PhD in Molecular Plant Pathology
NSF Graduate Research Fellow, USDA- NIFA National Needs Graduate Fellow
Dissertation: Characterization of pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) response to various bacterial-derived, pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in tomato roots.
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August 2018 - May 2020
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
B.S. in Biochemistry, Minors: Math and Chemistry
High Distinction, Honors Program
Honors Thesis: Mutational Inactivation of Arabidopsis RNA-dependent RNA polymerases 3 and 4 by CRISPR gene editing.
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August 2017 - May 2018
Simpson College
George Washington Carver Fellow
Student-Athlete (Soccer)
Research Experience
August 2020 - Present
Graduate Research Fellow
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Principle Investigator: Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi, PhD
Dissertation: Characterization of pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) response to various bacterial-derived, pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in tomato roots.
Rotation – Chris Staiger, PhD: Actin cytoskeleton and wall-associated kinase response to common plant pathogens in Arabidopsis
Rotation – Tesfaye Mengiste, PhD: CRISPR gene-editing of tomato for pathogen resistance
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August 2018 - May 2020
Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Principle Investigator: Hernan Garcia-Ruiz, PhD
Designed and executed a series of CRISPR-Cas9 experiments to selectively disrupt key genes associated with viral replication in Arabidopsis, including PCR, RT-PCR, gel electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing.
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May 2019 - August 2019
Agricultural Research Intern
Heartland Plant Innovations
Manhattan, Kansas
Direct Advisor: Dusti Gallagher, CEO
Conducted controlled crosses between wheat varieties and implemented tissue culture methods to induce haploid embryo formation; learned skills in tissue culture, including embryo rescue, in vitro propagation, and media preparation, ensuring the success of DH line production.
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May 2018 - August 2018
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Department of Chemistry
Kansas State University
Principle Investigator: Daniel A. Higgins, PhD
Conducted undergraduate research in analytical chemistry focused on the utilization of carboxylated nanotubes in the study of drug discovery through Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy