Research

Research Experience

Doctoral Research - UC Santa Barbara

Amphibian Disease Ecology

researcher standing at pond with seven cows

very small toad standing on a gloved hand

aquatic bug (common name: backswimmer) popping its head out of a falcon tube

adult red-legged frog sitting at the edge of a pond

I am interested in the roles of reservoir hosts in wildlife disease transmission and persistence and how environmental stressors may impact these roles. My current doctoral work in the Briggs Lab includes studying the environmental persistence and potential reservoir hosts of Bd (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), a fungus responsible for a catastrophic amphibian disease, in California. Please see the Mentorship tab for undergraduate mentee-led related research projects.

Research - University of Pittsburgh

Amphibian Disease Ecology

wetland in western Pennsylvania with algae topped water and trees

Red and brown spotted poison dart frog carrying a tadpole on its back

blue poison dart frog climbing on its terrarium wall

I worked as a lab manager and technician in the Richards-Zawacki lab at the University of Pittsburgh between 2019-2021. Here, I participated in collaborative research on temperature and climate impact the ecology and evolution of Bd-Host interactions across the U.S., and various research on the coloration of Panamanian Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs. Please see the Mentorship tab for undergraduate mentee-led related research projects.

Undergraduate Research - University of Tampa

Amphibian Disease Ecology

pacific chorus frog juvenite in a gloved hand

rain boots, a cup of water with bugs in it, and a net in the grass

I conducted research on a wide variety of projects relating to Bd (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) over my four years as an undergraduate researcher in the McMahon conservation disease ecology lab at the University of Tampa (now at Connecticut College). This work encompassed examining the impacts of Bd on crayfish respiration, whether snails and algae are viable hosts of Bd, developing and testing Bd-vaccines on frogs, and more!

Undergraduate Research - Arizona State University & UTampa

Urban Ecology of Lizard Communities

spatial analysis screenshot of the Phoenix metropolitan area showing study sites and landcover

I studied how urbanization impacted amphibian and reptile communities during my summer research experience for undergraduates in the Bateman Lab at Arizona State University in collaboration with the NSF Central Arizona-Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research Center and the Froeschke Spatial Ecology Lab at the University of Tampa.