I am a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biology and the Science, Technology, and International Affairs Program at Georgetown University, working in the Johnson Biosignatures Lab. My research spans the fields of geomicrobiology, analytical chemistry, and astrobiology to explore how life persists at the physical and chemical edges of habitability, and how we could detect it elsewhere.
I received my PhD from Princeton University in the Department of Geosciences. My dissertation explored high-affinity trace gas-oxidizing microbes (H2, CO, CH4) in the soils surrounding hot springs in the Andean Altiplano, Chile, and Yellowstone National Park. I proposed a mission concept to search for trace gas uptake activity via gas flux measurements on Mars.
What's New
Funding · 2026
JGI CSP New Investigator Award
Proposal selected for the DOE Joint Genome Institute Community Science Program New Investigator call, enabling metagenomic sequencing to characterize microbial communities linked to mineral distributions in geothermal Mars-analog environments in Iceland.
Read about the awardField Expedition · June 2025
Iceland — NASA GIFT Program
Participated in the NASA Goddard SWIFT expedition to Lake Kleifarvatn, a hydrothermally-fed lake in SW Iceland. As a collaborating scientist with Dr. Dina Bower's team "ATOMIC", I performed field measurements and sampling across hydrothermal sites using planetary mission-relevant instruments.
Read about the expeditionCurrent Work
I am currently focused on preparing for astrobiology-relevant instruments on upcoming Mars missions. Specifically, I have worked on the modification and application of a commercial LDI-MS to serve as a science analog to the MOMA (Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer) instrument onboard the Rosalind Franklin rover, slated to launch in 2028. As a member of the MOMA science team, I collaborate with NASA and ESA partners in using this instrument to assist in data interpretation for the flight instrument.
Research Interests
My primary research interests lie at the intersection of microbial ecology, biochemistry, and geochemistry. I utilize techniques from traditional microbiology, metagenomics, and analytical chemistry to study "extreme" terrestrial environments, the microorganisms that inhabit them, and the strategies life employs to survive under such challenging conditions. My research has spanned topics from bacterial ether lipid production in peat environments to microbial trace gas oxidation in desert soils as analogs for the surface environments of early and modern Mars.