About Me

I am a PhD candidate at the University at Albany, SUNY, working under the advisement of Dr. Ryan Torn. My PhD work is unofficially titled The Predictability and Verification of Precipitation from Landfalling Tropical Cyclones Using an Object-Oriented Framework. For more information on my PhD work and other research interests, please head to the research page of my website. 

My passion for the atmospheric sciences grew from my interests in math and earth science as a child. In middle school, I had the opportunity to participate in my school's Science Olympiad team, where I was assigned to study and then compete in the meteorology event (amongst others). Through this experience, I was tutored by undergraduate students at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN, where I was first exposed to meteorology as a field of study and potential career path – and I was hooked. 

In 2020, I obtained my BS in Meteorology from Iowa State University in Ames, IA. During my time at ISU, I was heavily involved in our student chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), served as a peer mentor for the department's first-year learning community, was a NOAA Hollings Scholar, and participated in research that took me from the corn fields of Iowa (literally) to Kentucky and even to Costa Rica. I left ISU with a strong drive to work in collaborative environments, serve in leadership roles, and with research interests in tropical meteorology and extreme precipitation. 

I started graduate school at the University at Albany, SUNY in 2020. My MS work focused on investigating the impacts of NOAA G-IV dropsondes on TC track forecasts using multi-season bulk statistics and two case study analyses. After I completed my MS in December 2022, my research shifted towards tropical cyclone hazards before settling on the verification and predictability of TC precipitation using object-based methods for my dissertation. 

During my time in graduate school, I have been involved in a number of departmental and professional initiatives. Within the department at the University at Albany, I have been a teaching assistant, a member of multiple departmental committees, a member of a faculty search committee, and an undergraduate tutor. In addition, I have given graduate student financial seminars to first-year graduate students and have participated in numerous student panels and outreach activities. In acknowledgement of these efforts, I was awarded the DAES Distinguished Service Award in 2022. 

Outside of the department, I have been heavily involved with student leadership positions within the American Meteorological Society (AMS). Since 2019, I have been a member of the AMS Student Conference Planning Committee (now a part of the AMS Board on Student Affairs), where I have served as a committee member, session chair, co-chair in training, and co-chair. I had the honor of serving as one of the co-chairs for the 23rd AMS Student Conference in Baltimore, MD, and the 24th AMS Student Conference in New Orleans, LA. Through my involvement in the AMS Student Conference and other positions, I have developed a strong passion for working with and mentoring students in the atmospheric sciences. 

Once I finish my PhD (est. summer 2026), I hope to pursue opportunities where I can continue to be involved in leadership and service roles. I am motivated by working in collaborative and interdisciplinary environments. I am passionate in student advocacy and creating professional development opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds and with diverse interests. 

Beyond the atmospheric sciences, I enjoy cooking, baking, crocheting, paint-by-number kits, going on walks, and spending time with my kitty co-workers, Rory and Gus.