Experience

Trace Genomics

• United States
• Biotechnology Research
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Scientist WGS

  • Sep 2022 - Present

  Ames, Iowa, United States

• Lead, Whole Genome Sequencing

  • Feb 2022 - Sep 2022

  Ames, Iowa, United States Responsible for optimization of the whole genomic sequencing work flow. Research for this role includes optimization for efficiency, time, cost, quality for all processes including, DNA extraction and purification, library preparation, and sequencing.

• Sr. Research Associate

  • Jul 2020 - Feb 2022

  Ames, Iowa, United States Responsible for all necessary research for making decisions on optimization of the whole genomic sequencing work flow. Major impacts include implementation of magnetic bead-based processes that allowed for automation.



BIG AND SMALL TORTOISE RESCUE AND SANCTUARY

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Founder / Director

  • Mar 2016 - Present

  Ames, Iowa, United States o Founded non-profit 501(c)3 organization called Big and Small Tortoise Rescue and Sanctuary (“Big or small, we rescue them all!”) in Aug 2017. o Responsible for maintaining tax-exemption status, as well as proper state business registration and required licenses o Manage fundraising operations: Donation receipts and thank you letters; Selling T-shirts as fundraisers; Event and Sponsorship organization. o Manage finances and record keeping o Responsible for grant write-ups and… Show more o Founded non-profit 501(c)3 organization called Big and Small Tortoise Rescue and Sanctuary (“Big or small, we rescue them all!”) in Aug 2017. o Responsible for maintaining tax-exemption status, as well as proper state business registration and required licenses o Manage fundraising operations: Donation receipts and thank you letters; Selling T-shirts as fundraisers; Event and Sponsorship organization. o Manage finances and record keeping o Responsible for grant write-ups and submissions. o Created the organization's website ( https://bigandsmalltortoise.org/sanctuary/ ). Self-taught in word-press coding and content-management-systems. Show less



Iowa State University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Assistant Scientist II

  • Jan 2020 - Jul 2020

  Ames, Iowa, United States o Responsible for conducting independent research to understand the molecular basis for plant responses to environmental stress, particularly to a form of stress called endoplasmic reticulum stress.



Land O'Lakes, Inc.

• United States
• Food and Beverage Manufacturing
• 700 & Above Employee

• Research Assistant

  • May 2019 - Jan 2020

  Ames, Iowa, United States o Gained experience developing and implementing an in-house nucleic acid extraction protocol (from soil) o Assisted in the development of qPCR assays with SYBR green and TaqMan to detect plant pathogen presence and quantify risks to crop health.



Complex Computation LLC

• United States
• Software Development
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Bioinformaticist

  • Jul 2018 - May 2019

  Ames, Iowa, United States o Developed unique and innovative bioinformatic applications for modern, heterogeneous, and big data using Mango Graph Studio software platform. o Gained knowledge in data mining and software solutions. o Gained experience coding in Graph Exploration Language (GEL) and basics of other scripting languages such as R, SAS, and Bash. o Acquired full skills in WordPress content management system and website development



Iowa State University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Graduate Research Fellowship (PhD) in Genetics

  • Apr 2014 - Jun 2018

  Ames, Iowa o Thesis title: Improvement and expansion of doubled haploid technology. o Thesis summary: Improvement of doubled haploid systems in maize by incorporating embryo culture, and the expansion of doubled haploid systems to orphan crops via transgenic methods by manipulating (RNAi) and identifying genes involved with haploid induction ability. o Became highly experienced in cloning, involving designing and constructing plasmids for plant transformation, especially those for RNAi. Sole… Show more o Thesis title: Improvement and expansion of doubled haploid technology. o Thesis summary: Improvement of doubled haploid systems in maize by incorporating embryo culture, and the expansion of doubled haploid systems to orphan crops via transgenic methods by manipulating (RNAi) and identifying genes involved with haploid induction ability. o Became highly experienced in cloning, involving designing and constructing plasmids for plant transformation, especially those for RNAi. Sole creator of 13 different vectors, which involved independently identifying homolog genes of interest (expression studies, RNA-seq, BLAST sequence comparisons), locating regions to target for RNAi, designing and constructing constructs in the laboratory, confirmation (by colony PCR, digestion diagnostics, sequencing), and transformation into E.coli and Agrobacterium). o Gained experience in basic laboratory skills including but not limited to DNA and RNA extraction, PCR and qPCR, gel electrophoresis, ELISA, cloning, Gibson assembly, media preparation, transformation, CRISPR, RNAi, and general laboratory maintenance. o Developed skills in tissue culture via embryo culture in maize. Collaborated with engineers to create specialized plates for analyzing roots during culture. o Extensive field experience from planting, pollinating, and harvesting within regulated (transgenic) fields.

• Graduate Research Fellowship (PhD) in Genetics

  • Aug 2013 - Apr 2014

  Ames, Iowa o Researched plant-pathogn interactions, specifically the potential to create resistant soybean by host-induced silencing in Fusarium virguliforme. o Gained experience in virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in soybean, hairy root procedure, and novel experimental transformation methods of Fusarium virguliforme

• Graduate Research Fellowship (MS) in Soil and Environmental Science

  • May 2011 - Aug 2013

  Ames, Iowa o Thesis title: Nitrogen fertilization effects on soil organic carbon storage and aggregation mechanisms within continuous corn cropping systems. o Thesis summary: Investigated interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, crop residue inputs, nitrogen fertilization, and soil organic matter (aggregate stability). o Acquired skills quantifying arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi root colonization by staining or fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) / phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA)… Show more o Thesis title: Nitrogen fertilization effects on soil organic carbon storage and aggregation mechanisms within continuous corn cropping systems. o Thesis summary: Investigated interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, crop residue inputs, nitrogen fertilization, and soil organic matter (aggregate stability). o Acquired skills quantifying arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi root colonization by staining or fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) / phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA). o Gained experience in basic soil quality measurements such as pH, phosphorus, potassium, inorganic and ammonium, soil texture, and organic matter density flotations. o Independently designed and built an automatic wet-sieving machine for high throughput and consistent separation of macro- and micro-aggregates.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant for Introductory Soils course AGRONOMY 154

  • Jan 2011 - May 2013

  Ames, Iowa o Teaching assistant for Introductory Soils course AGRONOMY 154. o Instructed laboratory classes independently in Spring 2012, Fall 2012, and Spring 2013. o Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Manu

• Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Soil Science

  • May 2010 - May 2011

  Ames, Iowa o Goal of Research: Characterize tillage and composting strategies that maximize potentially mineralizable nitrogen in maize-based cropping systems.



USDA

• United States
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Undergraduate Research Aide

  • Mar 2010 - May 2011

  Ames, Iowa o Full time work, 40 hours per week over summer; Part time work, approximately 20 hours per week during schooling. o Involved in data collection, soil and plant sampling, sample preparation in a laboratory setting, and general field plot maintenance.