Experience

Field Projects International

• United States
• Research Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Executive Director

  • Nov 2022 - Present

• Founder and Co-Director

  • Oct 2009 - Apr 2023

  As founder and senior research scientist I have been responsible for FPI planning and operations. This includes: 1. Prioritizing research agenda 2. Construction and maintenance of project database systems 3. Field team recruitment, training and supervision 4. Sample collection, transport, and analysis 5. Development of undergraduate and professional research certification programs 6. Ensuring compliance with domestic and foreign government regulatory agencies (CDC, CITES… Show more As founder and senior research scientist I have been responsible for FPI planning and operations. This includes: 1. Prioritizing research agenda 2. Construction and maintenance of project database systems 3. Field team recruitment, training and supervision 4. Sample collection, transport, and analysis 5. Development of undergraduate and professional research certification programs 6. Ensuring compliance with domestic and foreign government regulatory agencies (CDC, CITES, USDA, USFWS, IRB, IACUC, etc.) 7. Financial oversight and planning 8. Fundraising Field Projects International (FPI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to science education and research of wildlife and natural environments. We host professional training opportunities on diverse topics including primatology, herpetology, entomology, ornithology, general ecology, methods in conservation biology that currently take place in several of the world's biodiversity hotspots, such as the Amazon rainforest in Southeast Perú and the Western Ghats in southern India. In addition, FPI facilitates primary research conducted by graduate students and research faculty at several academic institutions. All FPI principal investigators offer 3-6 week-long research assistantships associated with the projects that they are involved in, mostly taking place from June through August. FPI is a founding member and global coordinator of the In Situ Laboratory Initiative that is now active in Peru, Ecuador, Rwanda, Vietnam, and Indonesia

• Molecular Research and Diagnostics Consulting

  • Jan 2018 - Dec 2019

  Laboratory installation, SOP creation, employee training, experimental design, primer design, sequencing barcode design, and consulting on genomic and metagenomic data analysis. Former clients: Wildlife SOS & San Diego Zoo, Agra, India - Laboratorio Biokem, Guadalajara, Mexico - Inkaterra Asociación, Puerto Maldonado, Peru.

• Field Course Instructor

  • Dec 2013 - Aug 2019

  Genomics in the Jungle (FPI program, 2019) Long-term Primate Field Studies (FPI program, 2017-19) Primates and Predators of India (FPI program, 2016) Tropical Biology and Primatology (FPI program, 2013-15)



Washington University in St. Louis

• Saint Louis

• Postdoctoral Research Associate

  • May 2019 - Apr 2023

  I was research associate of two laboratories at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, the Philips Lab and the Wang Lab. As a member of the Philips Lab, I analyzed host gene expression data across a variety of immune cell types to profile directly infected host cells, bystander cells, and immune T helper cells. The experimental work is multi-factorial, including multiple strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), multiple mouse models, and numerous experimental conditions… Show more I was research associate of two laboratories at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, the Philips Lab and the Wang Lab. As a member of the Philips Lab, I analyzed host gene expression data across a variety of immune cell types to profile directly infected host cells, bystander cells, and immune T helper cells. The experimental work is multi-factorial, including multiple strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), multiple mouse models, and numerous experimental conditions (e.g. presence/absence of T helper cells, variable Mtb incubation periods, exposure to BCG vaccine, etc.). My projects combined bulk and single-cell sequencing data sets with publicly available repositories such as Gene Ontology, MSigDB, Jasper, Fantom5, and Ensembl to identify potential therapeutic targets for controlling, or even clearing, infection with Mtb. I developed analysis scripts in R and Python, usually with rstudio and jupyter notebook, and from these working environments derived executable scripts for tasks that require a computational cluster. As a member of the Wang Lab, and in association with my role as a senior researcher of Field Projects International, I studied wildlife pathogen diversity. Show less I was research associate of two laboratories at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, the Philips Lab and the Wang Lab. As a member of the Philips Lab, I analyzed host gene expression data across a variety of immune cell types to profile directly infected host cells, bystander cells, and immune T helper cells. The experimental work is multi-factorial, including multiple strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), multiple mouse models, and numerous experimental conditions… Show more I was research associate of two laboratories at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, the Philips Lab and the Wang Lab. As a member of the Philips Lab, I analyzed host gene expression data across a variety of immune cell types to profile directly infected host cells, bystander cells, and immune T helper cells. The experimental work is multi-factorial, including multiple strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), multiple mouse models, and numerous experimental conditions (e.g. presence/absence of T helper cells, variable Mtb incubation periods, exposure to BCG vaccine, etc.). My projects combined bulk and single-cell sequencing data sets with publicly available repositories such as Gene Ontology, MSigDB, Jasper, Fantom5, and Ensembl to identify potential therapeutic targets for controlling, or even clearing, infection with Mtb. I developed analysis scripts in R and Python, usually with rstudio and jupyter notebook, and from these working environments derived executable scripts for tasks that require a computational cluster. As a member of the Wang Lab, and in association with my role as a senior researcher of Field Projects International, I studied wildlife pathogen diversity. Show less



University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Saint Louis, MO, USA

• Teaching Assistant and Laboratory Instructor

  • Aug 2011 - Apr 2017

  Vertebrate Compar. Anatomy Lab (UMSL class, 2017) Introduction to Evoluation (UMSL class, 2016) Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory (UMSL class, 2014-16) Organismal Biology Laboratory (UMSL class, 2011-13) Vertebrate Compar. Anatomy Lab (UMSL class, 2017) Introduction to Evoluation (UMSL class, 2016) Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory (UMSL class, 2014-16) Organismal Biology Laboratory (UMSL class, 2011-13)



Lawrence Douglas County Health Department

• Bilingual Liaison (Americorps Member)

  • Sep 2006 - Aug 2007

  My role at the Lawrence Douglas Counter Health Department was to assist nurses in providing public health services to the immigrant and undocumented Hispanic community in Lawrence, Kansas. I served as an English-Spanish interpreter during meetings between care providers and clients, and I developed materials in Spanish to help communicate or advertise LDCHD services. I also started a free youth soccer clinic that took place weekly for children from the same demographic that I was serving at… Show more My role at the Lawrence Douglas Counter Health Department was to assist nurses in providing public health services to the immigrant and undocumented Hispanic community in Lawrence, Kansas. I served as an English-Spanish interpreter during meetings between care providers and clients, and I developed materials in Spanish to help communicate or advertise LDCHD services. I also started a free youth soccer clinic that took place weekly for children from the same demographic that I was serving at the time. Show less My role at the Lawrence Douglas Counter Health Department was to assist nurses in providing public health services to the immigrant and undocumented Hispanic community in Lawrence, Kansas. I served as an English-Spanish interpreter during meetings between care providers and clients, and I developed materials in Spanish to help communicate or advertise LDCHD services. I also started a free youth soccer clinic that took place weekly for children from the same demographic that I was serving at… Show more My role at the Lawrence Douglas Counter Health Department was to assist nurses in providing public health services to the immigrant and undocumented Hispanic community in Lawrence, Kansas. I served as an English-Spanish interpreter during meetings between care providers and clients, and I developed materials in Spanish to help communicate or advertise LDCHD services. I also started a free youth soccer clinic that took place weekly for children from the same demographic that I was serving at the time. Show less