B.S. Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA

I joined PERL in the fall of 2011. My research will focus on the interactions and host choices between black-legged ticks (Ixodes sp.) and western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis). I hope to learn about the physiological and behavioral differences between non-parasitized ticks and ticks parasitized by Borellia bacteria. My broad research interests include community ecology, animal/plant co-evolution, and environmental physiology.