Biography

Minnesota born and bred, I moved to Durham after graduating from St. Olaf College in 2004. After three years as a technician in the Duke Medical Center, I entered the Neurobiology Curriculum at UNC. I balance out the academic life with running, writing, and reading.

Research

I'm a member of the Pevny lab in the genetics department, where we study the function of SOX2 in eye and brain development. My project consists of examining the embryonic phenotype of mice with reduced SOX2 levels, with specific focus on the optic vesicle and other forebrain structures. This is an exciting project because it explores the creation of neural structures that are critical to the way we perceive and respond to the outside world.

Publications

Awards/Activities

Developmental Biology Training Program Fellowship, UNC Chapel Hill, 2008

OUR Graduate Mentor Award, 2010