About Me
I'm an organismal biologist broadly interested in understanding how morphology, biomechanics, physiology, and ecology are intertwined throughout vertebrate evolution. In particular, I am interested in the origin and diversification of air breathing and buoyancy regulation mechanisms in fishes.
I received my PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology from Brown University in 2023. My dissertation research with Beth Brainerd focused on the biomechanics and evolution of air breathing and suction feeding in fishes. Following this, I worked as a postdoc in Christopher Mayerl's lab at Northern Arizona University, where I studied the effect of a biomimetic bottle nipple design on the biomechanics and physiology of infant suckling, using pigs as an animal model.
I am currently an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at Tufts University, working with Eric Tytell. I'm studying behavioral and physiological mechanisms of buoyancy regulation in bony fishes, evolutionary transitions between these mechanisms, and how their phylogenetic distributions relate to patterns in fish ecology.