I am currently pursuing a PhD in the Shark Research and Conservation lab of Dr. Catherine Macdonald at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School. My research focuses on the influence of competition, niche organization, and prey specialization on the function of nursery habitats utilized by South Florida’s coastal marine predatory fish. As an Abess Fellow, I am acutely interested in producing policy-relevant research that will facilitate the conservation of nurseries and the species that rely on them.

I concurrently participate in field research and education efforts with Field School, an organization for the advancement of field experience opportunities for underrepresented groups in marine science. During Field School’s courses on board the R/V Garvin, I help provide students with hands-on field experience accompanied by focused instruction on shark and ray capture, handling, and sampling methodologies.

I am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where I received my BS in Biological Sciences and conducted research in the aquatic ecology lab of Dr. Stuart Jones. As an aspiring marine biologist, I also sought out marine research experience and was named a NESA Galapagos World Explorer and NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholar.