Overview

I’ve always been an observer of the natural world and felt awe for the complexity and beauty of nature. As a child, I would collect crayfish in my parents’ creek, dig deep holes into the earth to explore what was underground, and befriended all the neighborhood cats. Later on in college, I became fascinated by the cellular and intracellular world. In biology, I find richness, truth, and connection.

My training as a researcher, studying under Dr. Walter J. Atwood and Dr. Ralph Isberg, allowed me to investigate the interactions between microbial organisms and mammalian hosts. The interplay between pathogen and host is a delicate evolutionary dance. What cellular protective mechanisms are in place to recognize, signal, and resist a biological threat? How do pathogens subvert these cellular defenses to invade a cell and replicate? These are the questions that fascinate me.

Teaching is a great passion of mine. My training as a Tuft University’s IRACDA postdoctoral fellow and tenure at Assumption University as an Associate Professor have informed my teaching. Much like research, I find teaching to be an experimental, collaborative, and creative endeavor. I feel lucky to be able to work with young minds and share my enthusiasm and excitement for the biological sciences. I teach Microbiology and Principles of Immunology. These courses dissect the diverse world of microorganisms and explore how immune systems develop and function. I work to use real-life examples, scientific data including primary literature, and clinical connections to keep my courses relevant.

Brown Affiliations

• Molecular Microbiology and Immunology

Research Areas