I’m an evolutionary biologist and science educator, and I’m passionate about making science accessible and exciting. My work has taken me around the United States, from my first foray into research on early Jurassic dinosaur footprints in Massachusetts, to analyzing the remarkable preservative capabilities of tyrannosaur coprolites in Colorado, to unpacking the ecology of a diverse microvertebrate fossil assemblage in southeastern Utah. 

In addition, I’ve worked hard to promote diversity and inclusion within science fields. My path to science has involved multiple stops and starts, including ongoing disability through anxiety disorder and progressive low vision. As a queer disabled woman I am a vocal supporter of uplifting members of the LGBTQ+ community and other underrepresented groups to pursue science. 

I spent seven years as a high school science teacher, where I took high school students on their first outdoor fossil expeditions and helped guide my students to discover what science truly means to them. My younger sister identifies as cognitively disabled, and with her leadership I have helped her colleagues in the disability community foster self-advocacy while building and curating their own scientifically accurate museum exhibits. Throughout the past decade of my career I’ve presented workshops and trainings in science to students and educators of all ages and backgrounds.