Personal information
Biography
I am a first year Microbiology PhD student at the University of Nebraska Lincoln in the Weber Lab. I am passionate about exploring the mysteries of the cosmos and the potential for life beyond Earth. My current interests entail discovering extant microbial life in the Martian subsurface, understanding early life on Earth, and investigating the potential habitability of our icy moons.
Outside the lab and beyond academic pursuits, I'm committed to promoting science outreach and education through my nonprofit organization — Agnostic Life Finding Association, Inc. — as well as NASA NOW-FLOW, and the Astrobiology SciComm Guild. I firmly believe that inspiring the next generation of scientists is essential to the future of astrobiology and space exploration. I am also an avid reader, hiker and darts player.
I believe that we often fail to see what is right in front of us because we have such a fixed understanding of what we should be looking for. I am striving to be on the other side of this by optimizing processes that we are familiar with, and comparing our extreme habitats on Earth to those in outer space.