My doctoral research supported the establishment of the hazelnut industry in Ontario by identifying which hormones could be manipulated in hazelnut flowers to delay bloom in the spring and avoid cold damage. I elucidated hormonal trends by generating the most comprehensive hormone profile in over-wintering flowers to date and measuring the expression of hormone metabolic genes. Since I was the first person to have a project with hazelnut in the Lab, I established and optimized protocols for the extraction of RNA from a recalcitrant hazelnut tissue, and developed new qPCR assays for an organism with a poorly annotated genome. I also mentored undergraduates as they used functional complementation to determine the function of a hormone metabolic gene isolated from hazelnut.

As a Teaching Assistant for introductory biology, I led group dry labs. I guided students through assignments and answered questions related to course content including NCBI, PCR, molecular cloning, experimental design, basic biochemistry, and basic animal physiology. As a Teaching Assistant for plant physiology, I marked written assignments, presentations, and exams for an upper-year course.

My undergraduate thesis project focused on developing a mutant of interest, using CRISPR technology, in Arabidopsis Thaliana. I took on this project as a student of Dr. Barbara Moffatt.

Working in the laboratory of Dr. Susan P.C. Cole, I investigated the function of conserved amino acid residues within the connecting regions of Multidrug Resistance Protein 1.

Working in the laboratory of Dr. Barbara Moffatt, I was primarily responsible for troubleshooting a selective media critical for a forward genetic screen. I also extracted high-quality genomic DNA from plants which was used for genome sequencing.

Working for the facilities crew at the Dupont Pioneer Canola Research Facility, I was responsible for the maintenance of greenhouses which included; cleaning, watering of plants, and pest management.

Working in the laboratory of Dr. Barbara Moffatt, I analyzed stomatal patterns of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves as a proxy for cell-cell communication problems in a mutant of interest.

As a part-time farm hand during high school, I was responsible for milking 200 head of cattle as well as other farm chores.

During high school, I set up and maintained a lawn care business in which I took care of 5 properties in my hometown.