iDNA
Terrestrial leeches (family Haemadipsidae) are unique to the rainforests of the Indo-Pacific, where many animals are both rare and endangered. By targeting the blood retained in the guts of haemadipsids, researchers can identify the vertebrate fauna on which they've fed. In this way, we learn about the vertebrate species inhabiting the collection site as well as the feeding behavior and diversity of these understudied invertebrates. I test metabarcoding approaches to maximize the information we can learn from leech-derived iDNA and to streamline the process for conservation practitioners. I am advised by Dr. Evon Hekkala. 

Find related peer-reviewed literature here: 2019, 2020a, 2020b, 2023

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Conservation education
In 2014, as part of Dr. Patricia Wright's study abroad program, I led research efforts assessing the effectiveness of conservation education programs implemented by Centre ValBio research station in the surrounding villages of Ranomafana, Madagascar. Our results determined education was a valuable tool in changing people's opinions of conservation programs. I hope to further assess how human conflict and civil unrest impact conservation efforts and biodiversity, especially in underreported regions like the Middle East.



​Ecosystems and Human Impact
While and undergraduate student at Stony Brook University, I was an active member of Dr. Sharon Pochron's Earthworm Ecotoxicology lab where I tested the short and long-term effects of Roundup herbicide on soil microbial respiration and earthworm (Eisenia fetida) biomass and population size. 

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