I earned my M.S. degree in Microbiology (2004) under Dr. Harwood’s tutelage.  The primary focus of my research was the development of several biosensor assays for the field-detection and quantification of pathogenic bacteria which can be found in environmental waters.  The title of my Master’s thesis was “Development of a Sensitive and Specific Biosensor Assay to Detect Vibrio vulnificus in Estuarine Waters.”  After graduating, I became the lab manager and lead technician for Dr. Audrey Levine’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Lab at the University of South Florida.  In the Levine Lab, I investigated the microbial constructs of landfill leachates and their contributions to waste decomposition and biofouling of drainage systems.   In 2007, I became the lab manager for Dr. John H. Paul’s Marine Microbiology Lab at USF’s College of Marine Science.  My responsibilities in the Paul Lab focused on the development of an Autonomous Microbial Genosensor, which is a remotely-deployed bio-buoy responsible for the in situ detection of the Florida Red Tide-causing dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis.  After several years, I entered Ph.D. program at CMS under Dr. Paul’s guidance (Dr. Harwood as a dissertation committee member).  In 2014, I earned my Ph.D. in Marine Science with a concentration in Biological Oceanography with research towards the development of several field-based, genetic identification assays for Grouper species, toxin-producing dinoflagellates, and water quality indicator bacteria.  I am currently the Chief Technology Officer and co-owner of PureMolecular, LLC based in St. Petersburg, FL.  PureMolecular specialized in seafood species authentication by providing both lab-based analyses and point-of-use genetic tools (puremolecular.com).