About Me

Originally from Houston, Texas, I am currently a Ph.D. student under Dr. Scott Rush in the Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Department at Mississippi State University, where I am investigating movement, habitat use, and breeding community ecology of Gopher Frogs in the Conecuh National Forest.

Prior to this position, I graduated with an M.S. in Agricultural, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences under Dr. Richard Kline at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. where I developed an eDNA assay for the Rio Grande Siren and participated in research concerning siren species differences, Black-Spotted Newt distribution, and Rio Grande Cooter surveying.

I have also worked as a Wildlife Ecology Apprentice at the Wilds, where I studied spatiotemporal mesocarnivore interactions with a focus on the newly repopulated bobcats.

I graduated with a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University in 2016. While working on my degree, I contributed to the “Reversing the Quail Decline in Texas” initiative through Texas A&M’s Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Unit.

Research Interests

I am broadly interested in the interactions between genetics, ecology, and conservation, particularly of amphibian species. I am interested in exploring how genetics impact behaviors and ecological choice in species, and how these can be assessed under a lens of conservation efforts and development of conservation plans. I am passionate about maintenance of biodiversity for continued ecological function, and believe eDNA is an invaluable tool in biodiversity monitoring and assessment, as well as being applicable for initial surveys on a landscape scale in order to influence further, in-depth sampling efforts. I am also interested in determining the ecological preferences of species through conventional surveys, and the application of these findings to conservation efforts, as well as the potential for community science inclusion and outreach opportunities.