Appointments, Education, & Training

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Appointments

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1. Research Associate

   Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

   2022 - 2026
2. STRI/Moore Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow

   Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

   2017 - 2022

   Bocas del Toro Panama

   Grant title: Divergence of Marine Symbiosis After the Rise of the Isthmus of Panama

   I created a website for the project which you can view here

3. Postdoctoral Research Associate

   Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

   2012 - 2017

   East Boothbay ME, USA
4. Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow

   University of Wisconsin

   2010 - 2011

   Madison WI, USA
5. Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellow

   Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

   2009 - 2010

   Gamboa Panama
6. Research Technician

   University of Texas-Austin

   2002 - 2006

   Austin TX, USA

Education

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1. PhD Microbiology

   University of Wisconsin-Madison

   2006 - 2011

   Madison WI, USA

   Dissertation title: Microbial ecology of leaf-cutter ant gardens and refuse dumps.

   In addition to my work on leaf-cutter ants, I also worked on honey bee microbiomes, beetle-fungal-bacterial interactions, and the evolution of fungus farming in insects.

2. BSc Aquatic Biology

   University of Texas-Austin

   1998 - 2002

   Austin TX, USA

   Minor in Anthropology/Archaeology

Training & Certifications

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1. PADI Diver Certification Courses

   Panama Dive School

   2017 - 2018

   Bocas del Toro PANAMA

   Open Water, Advanced Open Water, & Rescue Diver Certifications
2. PoreCamp

   University of Exeter Sequencing Center

   2016

   Penryn, Cornwall UK

   1-week hands-on training bootcamp on deploying Oxford Nanopore’s portable sequencing platform, the MinION

   View course website

3. Complex Systems Summer School (CSSS)

   Santa Fe Institute

   2015

   Santa Fe, NM USA

   An intensive 4-week introduction to complex behavior in mathematical, physical, living, and social systems. The CSSS brings together graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professionals to transcend disciplinary boundaries, take intellectual risks, and ask big questions about complex systems. The program comprises a series of lectures and workshops devoted to theory and tools, applications-focused seminars, and discussions with faculty and fellow participants. Participants put what they learn from these sessions into practice through group research projects, conducted throughout the program.

   Learn more about the SFI CSSS

4. NSF-UNOLS Chief Scientist Training Cruise

   The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System

   2014

   Barbedos to Bermuda

   2-week course aboard the R/V Atlantic Explorer for PhD students and postdocs on how to effectively plan and run multi-disciplinary oceanographic research & education cruises.

   View the final report from the 2014 UNOLS training cruise

5. Fire Academy

   Southern Maine Community College

   2013 - 2014

   Portland, ME USA

   Program provides an occupational foundation for fire suppression in municipal and industrial settings by focusing on the art and science of controlling and extinguishing fires. The program is based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001 Firefighter Professional Qualifications Standard, Firefighter Levels I and II and Maine Bureau of Labor Standards. Students must complete pre-class and post-class assignments and operate as part of a firefighting team.

   Certifications:

   • Firefighter I & II
   • Emergency Vehicle Oporations
6. Microbial Diversity Course

   Marine Biological Labs

   2007

   Woods Hole, MA USA

   An intensive 6-week course that provides advanced training in the discovery, cultivation, and analysis of microorganisms that drive diverse biochemical and ecological processes. The curriculum includes modern genetic, biochemical, and computational approaches that advance the study of microbial diversity and function. Students isolate and characterize novel microbes from local marine and freshwater habitats, integrating physiological data with genomic and metabolic analyses and applying advanced sequencing and annotation pipelines to interpret genomic, transcriptomic, and biochemical datasets. Participants receive integrated training in microbial physiology, metabolism, and genomics, focusing on cultivation of bacteria, archaea, and microbial eukaryotes, as well as their associated viruses.

   See the course website for more information

7. Archaeological Field Techniques

   The Programme for Belize Archaeological Project

   2000

   Rio Bravo BELIZE

   A 6-week intensive field course providing hands-on experience in field archaeology, including excavation, survey, mapping, artifact processing, and artifact analysis with a particular emphasis on Mayan art, architecture, & iconography. Subjects include excavation objectives, lithic analysis, ceramic analysis, osteological analysis, and Maya prehistory.

   See the course website for more information

Fellowships

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1. Smithsonian Institution Genomics Postdoctoral Fellowship

   Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

   2012 - 2014

   PANAMA

   The role of intestinal microbiomes in the nutritional ecology of dominant Neotropical ant species. Declined
2. Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship

   University of Wisconsin

   2010 - 2011

   Madison, WI USA

   The influence of forage material on microbial communities in leaf-cutter ant colonies.
3. Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellowship

   Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

   2009 - 2010

   PANAMA

   Microbial community assembly in the refuse dumps of the leaf-cutter ant, Atta colombica.