I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the University of British Columbia. My current research asks how root-associated bacteria prevent pathogens from infecting plants. I am using a custom high-throughput plant growth platform that I designed to screen large isolate collections for protective and pathogenic effects on the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana.I have a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder. My dissertation looks at the structure and function of skin-associated bacteria on amphibians, and asks how and whether resident skin bacteria are able to deter establishment of invaders. During my PhD, I designed a custom biofilm microcosm system, which I used to test hypotheses about how bacterial are able to deter establishment of an amphibian fungal pathogen. I also use novel Bayesian-inspired statistical approaches to infer cause-and-effect between microbial community traits and fungal infection risk and intensity.I have a Master's degree from the University of British Columbia, during which I investigated two potential drivers of microbial settlement on seaweed surfaces: proximity of seaweeds to their neighbours; and the effect of seaweed morphology on microbial community assembly. Finally, I have a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Developmental Biology, with experience in both fungal and microbiological labs. My undergraduate thesis describes how microbial turnover occurs across salinity gradients.My other interests include running, drinking beer, and tending to my beginner-level houseplants.