Research and Teaching Experience
A narrative explanation of my academic experience is detailed on this page. For a more traditional summary, my CV can be downloaded by clicking here.
Research Experience
I graduated with distinction from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. Attending an engineering school was beneficial early on; the project-based curriculum allowed me the opportunity to complete long-term projects in protein biochemistry and lipidomics. My background in genetics, anatomy, and chemistry has been a good foundation for my work in paleoanthropology.
My master’s was earned in the anthropology department at UNLV, during which time I focused on the taxonomy and phylogeny of KNM-ER 5431. Moving forward in my graduate studies, I am interested in aspects of the cranium that demonstrate convergence among Homo and Paranthropus and anticipate using fossil specimens as well as extant proxies to answer questions about morphological integration and developmental constraints on evolution.
Teaching Experience
During my undergrad, I was a laboratory teaching assistant for the introductory chemistry series. In all, I taught more than two dozen sections over three years. Once I began my master’s, I was able to TA a range of courses, including more culturally-focused anthropology classes and upper division biological anthropology classes like Primate Evolution. During my second year, I continued as a TA for both in-person and online classes. The first course I taught on my own was Introduction to Biological Anthropology Laboratory. Since then, I was awarded a research assistantship but returned to the classroom once to co-teach The Evolution of Everything with Prof. Brian Villmoare.
Some student feedback from the courses I have taught:
“The course was harder than I thought. She made sure I had to know exactly what I was talking about when answering the lab questions. I took a previous anthropology class before this and I can say that I learned much more in this lab class than I did for [the other anthropology class] I took before.” - Fall 2019
“I really liked the hands on / visual aspects that were in this course. It really helped me with understanding the key points from the text. Also, the professors enthusiasm and humor really made this enjoyable!” - Fall 2019
“The professor was extremely knowledgeable on the subject and could answer any question efficiently.” - Spring 2020
“[The] instructor was great, very hands–on and would do anything to help the students learn the material better.” - Spring 2020
Summary of the course evaluations from my first semester teaching Introduction to Biological Anthropology Laboratory. All but one student completed the evaluation. Mean scores for my class (in dark red) outperformed expectations for both the university and the department.