I am a geoscientist, electron microscopist, and planetary materials researcher whose work has spanned a wide range of disciplines, from micropaleontology and dinosaur paleontology to stable isotope geochemistry, mineral physics, and planetary science. Throughout my career, I have been fascinated by how processes occurring at microscopic scales can reveal the history of Earth, other planetary bodies, and the materials that shape them.

I earned my undergraduate degree in Geology from Beloit College, where I studied freshwater diatoms in the Connecticut River through a Keck Geology Consortium research project hosted at Wesleyan University. Following graduation, I participated in the Geological Society of America's GeoCorps program, serving as a Paleontology Geodatabase Technician for the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands. I then completed my master's degree in Geosciences at Northern Illinois University, where I used stable silicon isotope geochemistry to investigate Antarctic diatoms from the Ross Sea as part of the ANDRILL project.

In 2017, I joined the EPIC-SEM facility within Northwestern University's NUANCE Center, where I now serve as Facility Manager. I oversee five scanning electron microscopes, manage facility operations and staff, and support a research community of hundreds of users across disciplines ranging from materials science and engineering to biology and Earth sciences. In parallel, I am pursuing a PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences under the guidance of Prof. Steve Jacobsen. My research focuses on understanding how high-pressure minerals form in shocked meteorites using advanced electron microscopy techniques, including Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD). I also collaborate with NASA and industry partners to investigate lunar regolith as a resource for autonomous off-world construction, helping develop technologies that could support long-term human exploration of the Moon.

My work sits at the intersection of geoscience, planetary science, and advanced microscopy, combining interdisciplinary research, scientific leadership, and a passion for developing new analytical approaches that help researchers answer questions ranging from Earth's past to humanity's future beyond our planet.