About Me
I am an interdisciplinary scientist who seeks to build a predictive understanding of microbial community formation.
I explore questions at the intersection of microbiology, genomics, and bioinformatics. I've gravitated towards questions that require both computational and molecular biology my entire career. Mostly I am driven by tough questions and don't let myself get restricted by what I don't know how to do.
I'm a California girl.
Specifically, Northern California. I was born and raised in Northern California...and have managed to take a tour through the Northern California UC System in my higher education exploits, but I love to explore the world when possible.
I love art and Art/Science.
Scientific research and art are two things that we don't need for survival...but we need them for advancement and enrichment of our lives. I believe that both are creative endeavors that require out-of-the-box thinking. In general, scientists can benefit from the organic ways of problem-solving and how to present the story of their findings; artists can benefit from understanding the science of the materials that they use and how to use systematic problem solving.
I do photography, drawing, and graphic arts in my free time. I used to do ceramics, but the pieces take up so much space!
I likely literally perceive the world differently than you. I have sound-color synesthesia.
I see colors, shapes, and textures when I hear sounds. Musical instruments have different hues. I like having it, but it can be distracting in certain situations. I also associate colors with days of the week, but that is a less interesting synesthesia. You can get a sense of sound-color synesthesia by playing around with this Google Doodle inspired by Oskar Fischinger.