I am an evolutionary biologist studying adaptation and speciation in non-model systems. I completed my undergraduate studies at NYU in Abu Dhabi where I worked with John Burt and Youssef Idaghdour, my PhD at UNC Charlotte with Adam Reitzel, my first postdoc position at UF with Joseph Ryan and I am now at UNC Chapel Hill working with Dan Schrider. I focus primarily on how species survive extreme environments and anthropogenic stressors and the genomic architecture associated with allopatric vs sympatric speciation. Over the years, I have developed a proclivity for the analytical side of research, particularly for extracting biological insight from increasingly large and complex genomic datasets. As the scale and dimensionality of these datasets have grown, I have become increasingly interested in machine learning as a way to uncover patterns that are difficult to detect using traditional statistical approaches.
On a more personal level, I love being outdoors and have a particular talent for doing outdoorsy things with enthusiasm rather than expertise. I mountain bike (slowly), rock climb (occasionally successfully), run with my dog (who sets the pace), scuba dive, and ride horses. I also love good BBQ and a tide pool.