I am a PhD candidate with an interest in tropical parasitic diseases and a passion for integrative biology. Broadly, my goal is to adapt and apply integrative approaches to the development of phenotypic and behavioral assays that examine the disruption of basal homeostasis in parasitic organisms. My interest in infectious disease dynamics stems from an undergraduate research internship where I was first introduced to the complexities of parasite-host interactions on an organismal level by studying hookworm infections in South American fur seals (SAFS) (Gottdenker Lab). Hookworm persistence and the unique immune response in the isolated population of SAFS sparked my interests in understanding population dynamics and further led to my project examining a population of white-tailed deer in suburban Georgia (Ensign lab). While finalizing my undergraduate degree, I completed Human Physiology and Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy courses taught by Dr. Lisa Ganser and was captivated by homeostatic regulation systems and their interaction with external stimuli. Shortly after these courses, I applied and was accepted a NIH R-25 position at Kennesaw State University to further explore my interests in neurophysiology and developmental biology while simultaneously advancing my skillset as an integrative biologist to prepare myself for a PhD program. My Master’s thesis focuses on the developmental and behavioral effects of delta9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) on spastic, active paralysis, zebrafish mutants (Ganser Lab). This project highlighted my interest in the use and regulation of drugs in disease intervention and prompted me to return to my interest in parasitic infections. 

Currently, I am a fourth-year graduate student in Dr. Dennis Kyle’s laboratory where my project focuses on developing novel high-content imaging assays to incorporate Artemisinin-induced dormant Plasmodium falciparum recovery into current understanding of drug treatment, therapeutics, and prevention. My long-term career goal is to utilize my diverse training in physiology, developmental biology, cellular biology and infectious diseases to design, optimize and implement phenotypic and behavioral assays in the context of drug discovery and parasite homeostasis. I plan to use the capstone project opportunity of this grant to gain essential on-site training to complement my current skillset. Possible future directions for my research remain focusing on parasite homeostatic mechanisms in relation to parasite-drug interactions, specifically dormancy and resistance.