Bio

I am a PhD student in the MVP program at Penn completing my thesis work in the Moncla and Hensley labs. I am fascinated by the viral-host coevolution of influenza—with a particular interest in how avian viruses adapt to human hosts—as well as by how humoral immune responses to seasonal influenza viruses are shaped by prior exposure.

Prior to starting graduate school, I attended Penn State and received bachelor’s degrees in Microbiology and Chemistry. There, I completed undergraduate research focused on identifying a novel isomerase in the skin commensal Micrococcus luteus. After graduating, I moved to Philadelphia and worked as a research tech in the Hensley lab for a year, primarily studying antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 and identifying an antigenic mismatch for the H3N2 component of a recent flu vaccine.

Outside of lab, I spend a lot of my free time tending to my large houseplant collection, discovering new music, and going to concerts. I also love exploring new parts of the city and cooking/baking.