About Me

I grew up in Sussex County, New Jersey, a large but sparsely populated region of undeveloped forests, lakes, and mountains in the state’s northwestern corner. Despite being in the most densely populated state in the nation, Sussex County felt like a world apart. Its slogan, “People and Nature Together,” perfectly captures the atmosphere of my upbringing. Being surrounded by woods and wildlife deeply shaped my sense of wonder about the natural world and planted the seeds of my passion for biology and science as a whole. I was especially curious about how the landscapes, animals, and fossils I encountered came to be, which naturally led to my lifelong fascination with paleontology and the ancient Earth. I also found myself drawn to the form of life, of all the diverse shapes and functions of animals. Why does a certain animal capture you? What makes it “look cool”? It’s not something I can articulate, but I am drawn to form, which inspired my love for animals and their evolution and life history, leading me down the path of becoming a functional morphologist.

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Like many future paleontologists, I grew up immersed in all things related to dinosaurs and prehistoric life. It was all dinosaur toys and books, and endlessly sketching them and other fantastical creatures. Although my childhood was marked by financial hardship, with my younger sister and me being raised by our single mother through times that included homelessness and poverty, my mom made sure that my love for science was never lost. No matter what we had to give up, my dinosaur toys and books were never on that list, something for which I will always be grateful.

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Those early passions for nature, science, and deep time guided me throughout my education. In school, science, especially biology, was always my strongest subject, and it became clear that this was the path I wanted to follow. Except for a brief moment in high school when I considered becoming a pilot, I remained firmly on the biology track, drawn particularly to evolution. I was fascinated by the idea that all living things share common origins, and that the planet was once home to an incredible diversity of creatures that existed long before humans. This curiosity led me to Rutgers University’s flagship campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where I majored in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources. It was the only program among my options that featured “evolution” in its title. Rutgers became the place where my academic and personal growth truly blossomed and where I officially began my scientific career. I graduated in 2016 with a B.Sc. in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources and a minor in Music, and I am an immensely proud Scarlet Knight holding a strong love for my alma mater to this day. There’s a beauty to the full circle I’ve taken in ending right back up at Rutgers, in the same department I earned my Bachelor’s, to begin the tenure-track stage of my scientific career.

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And so after I graduated in 2016, I began graduate school. I attended Virginia Tech intending to obtain a master’s degree in Geosciences, conducting research in vertebrate paleontology with VT’s renowned Paleobiology and Geobiology Research Group. My decision to pursue a master’s rather than a PhD was a cautious one—an attempt to “test the waters” of academic research—but what I didn’t realize at the time was that I was deeply burnt out from my intense undergraduate years, even though they were fulfilling. Completing an intensive, research-based master’s program without much of a geology background felt like sprinting before I had learned to walk, and after a year, I made the difficult decision to leave the program. Despite that, my time at Virginia Tech was deeply valuable. I gained a strong foundation in vertebrate paleobiology, made lasting friendships and professional connections, and my research there led to two publications, including my first first-authored one. More importantly, the experience taught me how to take care of myself as both a scientist and a person, and to recognize that stepping back can sometimes be the most productive step forward.

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In the year following my departure from graduate school, I seriously considered leaving academia altogether. I worked as a server at The Cheesecake Factory, a job that, while challenging, was super fun and gave me mental space to heal from burnout. It was also during this time that an encouraging conversation with a mentor at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s annual meeting rekindled my passion for paleontology and reminded me why I fell in love with the field in the first place. Reinvigorated and more self-aware, I applied again to graduate school again, this time PhD programs, with a clearer understanding of my goals and my needs as a researcher. I was honored to be awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and accepted to the University of Southern California to pursue a PhD in Earth Sciences.

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In USC, I found a program that perfectly matched my research interests and a city environment that aligned with my personality and lifestyle. I loved living in Los Angeles, and I visit frequently to this day. In my PhD, I developed my research skills in evolution and functional morphology while also learning to balance academic rigor with personal well-being. I thrived in a city where all of my hobbies were enhanced, from moviegoing to birding. My doctoral years at USC led to publications, network building, but also opportunities like consulting for BBC and Apple TV’s Prehistoric Planet, being named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science, and my social media brand and public presence bloomed. Now, as I am here in Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship at my Alma Mater, with a tenure track Assistant Professorship on the horizon, I can look back and see how each step—from my childhood in nature, to my undergraduate years at Rutgers, a stop at Virginia Tech, and my thriving at USC and in Los Angeles—has shaped not only my scientific career but also the resilient, passionate person I have become.

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(This was not written with AI, I like emdashes, darn it)