Professional Interests and goals: I investigate transcription initiation in plants with a focus on understanding the determinants of transcription start site selection and the role of interactions between transcription factors and the Mediator complex in activating transcription. This research is part of a broader goal of understanding how the evolution of promoters and transcriptional machinery contribute to the developmental and environmental regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. I am currently supported by a Simons Graduate Fellowship in Ecology and Evolution as I research these phenomena, primarily using grasses as a model system.
General Interests: I enjoy rock climbing, reading international literature, and gardening.