BIOGRAPHY

I have a PhD and M.S in Geochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles and a B.S. in Earth System Geoscience from the University of Arizona.  In my work as a Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations Postdoctoral Fellow at Rice University, I use the natural abundances of molecules with more than one rare isotope substitution to explore how microbial metabolisms contribute to global biogeochemical cycles.  My work takes me to sea as an oceanographer, and while at Rice, I sailed to the Ross Sea off the coast of Antarctica as a member of the International Ocean Discovery Program’s 374th Expedition.  I next sail to the Gulf of California to study methane seeping from hydrothermal vents in the Guaymas Basin in the fall of 2019.  

As an interdisciplinary researcher, my work meets at the intersection of chemistry, geology and astrobiology.  Being a Rice Academy Fellow will expand my view even further, and I look forward to interacting with members of the Rice community from diverse disciplines and backgrounds.

Outside of science and time at sea, I enjoy spending time with my husband and dog, drinking coffee, gardening and beginning to knit but never quite finishing sweaters.