Curriculum Vitae

A categorized overview of my research, mission work, teaching, and leadership. Full CV available on request.

Geochemical & Analytical Tools

Expertise across the instrumentation used to detect, quantify, and interpret both organic and inorganic biosignatures.

GC-MS, TMAH thermochemolysis, and pyrolysis-GC-MS for organic biosignature detection
ICP-MS for trace-element and elemental analysis
X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) for mineralogical characterization
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for morphological analysis

Broad wet-chemistry and instrumentation skills built across a decade of research and industry lab work.

Designed and validated wet-chemical digestion protocols to optimize analyte recovery and minimize matrix interference
Authored formal SOPs for instrument calibration, sample handling, and data quality assurance
Mineral separation techniques: rock crushing, grain-size sorting, gravity and heavy liquid separation, acid leaching, magnetic separation
Additional techniques: titration, UV-VIS, HPLC, PCR, electrophoresis, RNA/DNA extraction

Active NASA Student Collaborator supporting two Mars rover missions.

Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument team, Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity), 2023–present
Tactical Documentarian, Mars 2020 Perseverance, 2021–present
Mission Blog Writer, Mars 2020 Perseverance, 2021–present

Fieldwork spanning planetary analog environments and geologic sampling.

Sampled acidic-to-circumneutral hydrothermal sinter deposits across Iceland for biosignature preservation research
Digitized proposed Mars landing site data and built a GIS product for NASA’s Evolvable Mars Campaign
Conducted geodynamics research on magnetite at high pressures using Argonne National Laboratory facilities

Five-plus years as a university teaching assistant, with a track record of mentoring students to publication.

TA for Age of Dinosaurs, Evolution of Earth and Life, and Earth Science for the 21st Century
Mentored undergraduate researchers Ben Siew and JJ Ruse, both resulting in LPSC presentations
Advises undergraduate researchers in geochemical lab methods, experimental design, and data interpretation

Progressed through every officer role of UF’s Black Graduate Student Organization

Nearly a decade of independent STEM outreach focused on underrepresented students, especially minority women.

Writes for public audiences alongside peer-reviewed research.

Peer-reviewed research and a consistent presence at major planetary science conferences.

Co-author, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (2022), on microbial biomarkers in Mars-analog lava tubes
10+ presentations at LPSC, AbSciCon, AGU, GSA, and NABG since 2016
Oral presentations at LPSC (2025) and NABG (2025) on Icelandic biosignature preservation

Recognition spanning academic honors, travel grants, and media fellowships.