What was your career goal when you graduated, and where are you up to on that journey?

When I graduated, my career goal was to become a researcher and potentially a professor down the road. I was aiming to develop professionally in my research field as a population geneticist and computational biologist. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University. In my PhD, I study the role of plant immunity in speciation using a combination of quantitative genetics approaches and computational genomics tools. I have been presenting my research at Evolution and Speciation conferences to share my ongoing research and to build a professional network.

What are you currently working on professionally?

In my PhD I study the mechanisms that underlie the formation and maintenance of species boundaries in wildflowers of the genus Mimulus. Specifically, I am working on a set of projects to uncover the role of plant immunity in the evolution of intrinsic postzygotic reproductive barriers between species. My research focusses on a genetic incompatibility in hybrids called hybrid necrosis, which is associated with phenotypes such as leaf yellowing, wilting, cell death and dwarfism. I am currently mapping the genetic basis of hybrid necrosis and dwarfism in Mimulus hybrids between two species to understand the role of immune genes in the hybrid necrosis incompatibility. Plant immune genes are one of the most rapidly evolving gene families in nature in response to an arms race relationship between pathogens and the host immune system. Since this process leads to high and rapid genetic diversification, I am exploring the landscape of immune genetic diversity, in a class of plant disease resistance genes called NLRs across many species in a Mimulus species complex. My goal is to understand how natural variation shapes the evolutionary landscape of immune system incompatibilities.

How has the Department of Biological Sciences helped you prepare for your goal?

One of the biggest impacts in setting me up for a research career was my honors research project which I completed in lab of Dr. Trevor Krabbenhoft. Being accepted into the Biological Sciences Honors program opened a new door to explore my research interests in speciation and to complete a research project during my senior year. Both the technical and soft skills that I acquired while completing my project prepared me for developing my own projects in my PhD.

What faculty member or class brings back the best memories?

One of my favorite memories is TA’ing BIO 200 with Dr. Poulin! I loved my TA cohort community, and grading the lab final exams all together in one room right before Christmas was a lot fun!

What is your advice to the current/future BIO students?

My advice is to seek out undergraduate research opportunities and use research projects as a way to explore areas of Biology and research that excite you. This process takes time, and it can involve rounds of trial and error, and many twists and turns until you find your “niche” in Biology. Persevere and follow your passions!