About me
Currently, I am a PhD student in Ecology & Environmental Science at Montana State University in Bozeman. I study how insects can be used to manage invasive plants. I am happiest when I am outside, working with insects, and digging into statistics — a combination that took me a few detours to find.
Below is the short version of how I got here.
Mosquitoes and wetlands
At the University of Minnesota, I thought I wanted to be a geneticist. I loved dinosaurs as a kid (still do!), so combining dinosaurs and genetics had an obvious allure. After spending hours pipetting in labs with few windows and little social contact, though, I decided to pivot. As a junior, I switched to a general biology degree with a minor in marine biology. I still wasn’t sure what I wanted my career to be, but at least I was headed in the right direction.
After graduation, I worked for the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District in Oakdale, MN, driving to freshwater sources to look for mosquito larvae and treat them with larvicide. Admittedly, I spent more time hunting for cool places and adding to my insect collection than I did on the job itself.
A cubicle at 3M
After the seasonal job ended, I took a job at 3M (think Scotch tape and Post-it notes) managing their database systems, including a proprietary chemical data management system (CDMS), SAP, and a whole lot of Excel. I stayed three years and came to realize that I did not want a career as a regulatory analyst. I had a biology degree, after all, and this was not what I had dreamed of doing.
Eventually, I decided to change careers and learn more about insects and ecology.
Applying to graduate school
I started applying to graduate programs in 2020 and 2021, when it seemed everyone else had the same idea. I heard back from about 10% of the positions I applied to, and half of those replies were some version of “I received over 100 applicants and I am overwhelmed. Thank you for applying.”
Eventually, I caught a break: an email from Dr. David Weaver at Montana State University.
Montana and the wheat stem sawfly
I started a master’s degree with Dr. Weaver in 2021. The project combined my passions: insects, statistics, and the outdoors. I studied the wheat stem sawfly, a pest of wheat, and how smooth brome and native parasitoid wasps shape it. You can learn more in my talks and presentations and publications.
Continuing to a PhD
After my master’s, I wanted to keep using insects to solve real-world challenges. In 2025, I began a PhD with Dr. Sharlene Sing and Dr. Bob Peterson, studying the biological control of Dalmatian and yellow toadflax, invasive weeds in the American West.
I now study weevils that we raise and release to attack toadflax, and we work to understand how effective and resilient they are across different ecosystems and climate scenarios.
Outside of research
When I am not in the field or at my desk, you will usually find me in the mountains around Bozeman. I spend a lot of time trail running: I’ve completed two 100-mile races, and a 200-miler is scheduled for the summer of 2027. I also help lead the LRES Graduate Student Organization at MSU.