My career has focused on investigating the diversity of microorganisms in Canadian soils, with a keen interest in paleomicrobiology. After completing both a B.Sc. (2016; Honours Molecular Genetics) and an M.Sc. (2018; Microbiology & Biotechnology) at the University of Alberta, I worked as a Microbial Ecology Research Technician with Agriculture Agri-Food Canada. I am excited to be member of Dr. Poinar’s lab, using eDNA to study how whole-ecosystem processes changed across the Holocene-Pleistocene transition as an analogue for contemporary climate change. 

Using modern molecular techniques, I have worked on numerous microbial ecology projects. My undergraduate thesis focused on characterizing soil fungal communities in the Athabasca Oil Sands to improve current reclamation strategies. Building upon skills developed in my undergraduate degree, I explored how permafrost thaw impacts the viability and community structure of bacteria in my master’s thesis. Working as a research technician allowed me to further hone my skills as a researcher, investigating how mycorrhizal networks function in agricultural soils. My passions have always been microbiology and ancient DNA, and I am excited to unite these two topics to produce information relevant to our future in a changing climate.