CV

B.S., Biological Sciences, Honors

Northern Arizona University · Flagstaff, AZ

A.S., General Studies, Summa cum laude

Santa Fe Community College · Santa Fe, NM

Graduate Research Assistant

School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University · Flagstaff, AZ
Supervisor: Dr. Spencer Fox

• Generated SARI (severe acute respiratory infection) forecasts for the respiratory disease seasons of Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil with a new forecasting application, called MicroHub, written in R and Shiny (inspired by collaborative forecasting hubs like FluSight).
• Researched and prototyped nowcasting methods for possible inclusion in MicroHub, which does not currently support such methods.
• Enhanced the MicroHub application through improvements to the user interface, increased functionality, and expanded capabilities, including automatically generated reports, producing time-series plots, supporting multiple languages, etc.

Research Assistant, Posner Lab

Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University · Flagstaff, AZ

• Helped develop stochastic simulation algorithms for validation within PyBioNetFit (PyBNF), a Python-based software for curve fitting and parameter estimation in mechanistic models, which I applied to forecasting COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and the Navajo Nation.
• Constructed data scraping pipelines and leveraged remote parallel computing to produce real-time estimates with four-week forecasting horizons during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. These were shared with public health authorities (e.g., NNDOH) and university administration (NAU) and have been published as a peer-reviewed manuscript.
• Collaborated with researchers at Los Alamos, Sandia, and Oak Ridge National Laboratories to develop transmission models in Python that implemented social distancing effects for estimating epidemiological parameters with high-performance parallel computing clusters, and Bayesian uncertainty quantification techniques, for fitting to datasets published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the NNDOH. This work resulted in publications in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, and Viruses.
• Estimated the impact of social distancing policies on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the Navajo Nation using mechanistic models, which highlighted the differential effect of the analogous policies in adjacent states and was published in PLOS Global Public Health.

Invited Trainer, Joint CDC–PAHO Technical Cooperation

Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) · Santiago, Chile

Prediction and Forecasting Respiratory Virus Surveillance Trends; invited by Ciro Ugarte, Director of Health Emergencies, PAHO/WHO (Ref. PHE/IHM/159-26)

• Co-delivered a three-day technical training for Chile's Ministry of Health (MINSAL), conducted jointly with PAHO/WHO, the U.S. CDC, and Northern Arizona University.
• Co-presented with Dr. Spencer Fox on the CDC's forecasting collaboration's background and objectives, collaborative forecast hubs, and the NAU forecast models, including forecast evaluation and historical model performance.
• Introduced the MicroHub forecasting tool and the Hubverse framework and led installation, setup, and hands-on exercises on the weekly production of Chilean SARI (severe acute respiratory infection) forecasts.
• Presented advanced MicroHub features and led discussion of forecast targets and metrics, including age groups, virologic data, and the difference between dates of symptom onset and hospitalization.

Trainer, Joint CDC–PAHO Technical Cooperation

Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) · Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Led MicroHub installation and MicroHub exercises in a three-day training for Argentina's Ministry of Health, conducted jointly with PAHO/WHO and the U.S. CDC.
• Co-led with Dr. Spencer Fox a discussion of forecast targets and metrics for Argentina's respiratory surveillance data.

Instructor, Arizona Data Science Corps (AZDSC), Advanced Pathway

Northern Arizona University (NSF Award #2436761) · Flagstaff, AZ

• Co-taught the Advanced (epidemic modeling and inference) pathway of an NSF-funded professional development grant for preparing Arizona 6th–12th grade teachers on integrating more hands-on data science into their classrooms.
• Led hands-on sessions on Python programming concepts, including variables, functions, NumPy, Pandas, and plotting, using Google Colab notebooks that were designed to be modifiable for classroom use and collaborative editing
• Taught concepts on compartmental models (SIR and related models such as SIS/SIRS) and guided the class through diagramming, simulation, and visualization
• Aided instruction on parameter inference, including instruction on the use of mean-squared-error objective functions, grid search, and gradient-descent optimization to fit compartmental models to real-world influenza data from Arizona.

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University · Flagstaff, AZ

• Instructor of record for three sections of introductory biology laboratory (BIO 181L) and microbiology laboratory (BIO 205L), teaching 75 or more undergraduate students per semester.
• Led microbiology laboratory instruction in a BSL-2 laboratory while enforcing biosafety guidelines and educating students in microbiological techniques and aseptic procedure
• Developed and presented lecture material relevant to laboratory objectives and course learning outcomes on a weekly basis
• Scored and assessed student quizzes as well as laboratory notebooks to facilitate learning and skill development in microbiological laboratory techniques.

Supplemental Instructor, BIO 344/H

Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University · Flagstaff, AZ

• Provided supplemental instruction for Cell and Molecular Biology (BIO 344/H), supporting student understanding of complex molecular and cellular concepts.
• Developed practice materials, such as problem sets and review presentations.
• Hosted review sessions and mentored students for exam preparation and study strategies.

Undergraduate Research Instructor

Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University · Flagstaff, AZ

• Delivered peer instruction for an undergraduate research course under Dr. Richard Posner, focused on computational modeling and systems biology.
• Developed instructional presentations and recorded tutorials on lab-specific methods and modeling software.
• Led discussions of primary literature, guiding students in experimental design evaluation and comparison of research findings.
• Mentored students in independent research skills within a pass/fail, research-intensive course structure.

“Northern Arizona University receives NIH grant to support Ph.D. students in health fields”

Arizona Daily Sun · named as a G-RISE trainee article link

Lab Animal Technician

Department of Animal Resources, University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA

• Performed daily husbandry and care for a variety of research animals including rodents, birds, pigs, reptiles, rabbits, and dogs.
• Responsible for properly feeding, watering, cage cleanliness, and enriching a variety of animals in accordance with institutional and federal regulations.
• Monitored and evaluated the health and welfare of animals to ensure their well-being and provided initial clinical treatment and assessment for minor injuries or other illnesses before veterinary intervention.
• Helped enforce compliance with IACUC regulations and played a role in ensuring standards for our AAALAC-accreditation were met.