BIO
Originally from Ohio, I completed a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Biochemistry from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. During this degree I spent a field season working with the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) in Alaska as a research technician. While there I became fascinated with the plant communities of the Arctic and developed an interest in botany. In 2020 I achieved an MSc. in the Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants from the University of Edinburgh and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in the UK. After graduating I spent two years working in the plant nursery trade specializing in the production and care of both woody and herbaceous perennial plants. Having experiences both in commercial horticulture and plant biology has made me interested in the different ways that humans interact with plants. Since moving to Vermont, I enjoy spending time outdoors and practicing music.
My current research interests include systematics of grasses and the evolution and development of geophytic (belowground) structures in plants, especially bulbs, corms, and rhizomes. In the Preston Lab I’m working on a phylogeny of the grass genus Melica (Poaceae: Pooideae) to facilitate study of trait evolution in temperate grasses.
Bio
Originally from Ohio, I completed a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Biochemistry from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. During this degree I spent a field season working with the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) in Alaska as a research technician. While there I became fascinated with the plant communities of the Arctic and developed an interest in botany. In 2020 I achieved an MSc. in the Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants from the University of Edinburgh and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in the UK. After graduating I spent two years working in the plant nursery trade specializing in the production and care of both woody and herbaceous perennial plants. Having experiences both in commercial horticulture and plant biology has made me interested in the different ways that humans interact with plants. Since moving to Vermont, I enjoy spending time outdoors and practicing music.
My current research interests include systematics of grasses and the evolution and development of geophytic (belowground) structures in plants, especially bulbs, corms, and rhizomes. In the Preston Lab I’m working on a phylogeny of the grass genus Melica (Poaceae: Pooideae) to facilitate study of trait evolution in temperate grasses.