Education

• B.S. in Environmental Biology and Zoology, Western Illinois University (graduated May 2021)
• M.S. in Entomology, University of Kentucky (graduated August 2023)
• Ph.D. in Entomology, University of Kentucky (expected graduation December 2027)
• Work Experience:
•  2021-present: Graduate Research Assistantship. University of Kentucky, Department of Entomology.
• Fall 2022 & 2023: Teaching Assistant. ENT/BIO/FOR 502: Forest Entomology. University of Kentucky. 

Research Interests

I am currently a Ph.D. student in Dr. Lynne Rieske-Kinney's Forest Entomology Lab where I am evaluating a fungal associate transformed to induce gene silencing as a delivery mechanism for dsRNA in southern pine beetle. For my master's degree, I investigated the feasibility of RNAi-mediated gene silencing in the redbay ambrosia beetle and the presence of the causal agent of laurel wilt disease in sassafras-associated insects. My main research interests include fungal-insect interactions and innovative ways to manage forest pests.