I am a molecular ecologist with experience working on a diverse array of taxa (plants, birds, mammals, plankton, microbiota) across a range of ecosystems. In particular, I am fascinated with how host-associated microbial communities can bolster plant or animal population resilience, and how disruptions in the microbiome can be consequential for population health or ecosystem function. I am also interested in how free-living and host-associated microbial communities can be used for ecosystem and population health bio-monitoring or leveraged as tools for habitat restoration. In my research I strive to characterize the consequences of variation in microbial communities for the ecology and evolution of macrobiological life.

I completed my MSc with the Newman Lab at the University of Guelph, and my PhD with the Poissant Lab at the University of Calgary. Throughout my graduate and postdoctoral research, I blended concepts of animal eco-physiology, community ecology, and quantitative genetics to study host-microbiome interactions in the wild. In November 2024, I began as a Scientist with the Ecosystems & Habitats Program within the Wildlife Division of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.

Education

PhD, Veterinary Medical Sciences – University of Calgary, Calgary AB (2019 – 2023)
Ecology and fitness consequences of gut microbiome variation in a population of feral hindgut fermenters

MSc, Comparative Animal Physiology – University of Guelph, Guelph ON (2016 – 2018)
The effects of urbanization on interactions between wildlife stress physiology and gut microbiomes

BSc, Wildlife Conservation & Management – University of Guelph, Guelph ON (2011 – 2015)
Interactions between stress physiology and the bacterial microbiome in wild red squirrels