PhD in Chemical Oceanography
I am an organic geochemist and microbial oceanographer. I am an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Pacific Lutheran University. Previously I was a Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago in the laboratory of Dr. Jacob Waldbauer. My work is supported by the Simons Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Marine Microbial Ecology.
I received my PhD from the University of Washington, advised by Dr. Anitra Ingalls.
When I'm not teaching or doing research at the office, lab, or at sea, I'm probably hiking, skiing, biking, or cooking.
I use analytical organic chemistry tools to understand microbial life and environmental processes. Through measuring both rare and abundant molecules that microbes rely on, I try to address questions relating to carbon cycling on scales from the micrometer size of a cell to the thousands of kilometers that span ocean basins.
Teaching is my favorite part of science! I have taught science in a wide variety of capacities, from formal classrooms to informal hiking outings, and at levels from first grade to graduate students.
I am constantly looking for ways to engage students in venues outside of the university and in non-traditional educational settings.