My graduate work focuses on the change in Aquilegia petal morphology during the evolutionary transition from bee pollination to hummingbird pollination. The petal nectar spurs of bee-pollinated Aquilegia species are short and curved, while those of hummingbird-pollinated species are long and straight. I am using a comparative developmental approach combined with a QTL mapping study to illuminate the morphological and genetic underpinnings of this phenomenon.

I'm very passionate about science outreach and spend most of my free time producing and hosting my educational YouTube channel, Science In Real Life. Right now I'm wrapping up a series of 10 episodes featuring the work of women plant biologists at leading research institutions across the country, a project made possible by the Plant Biology Learning Objectives, Outreach Materials, and Education (BLOOME) grant from the American Society of Plant Biologists.