Bio

I am a professional Population Geneticist at a genetic genealogy company, FamilyTreeDNA. I received my Ph.D. from the Bohonak lab at San Diego State University, and the Nunney lab at UC Riverside, where I was an ARCS scholar. I am an evolutionary biologist and population geneticist with extensive background in bioinformatics, seeking to empower people by unlocking the meaning of their DNA. My current research projects are establishing novel population genetic tools to estimate human ancestry, from hundreds of ancestral populations. I have broad interests in evolutionary genomics, population genetics, phylogeography, herpetology, and human evolution. One of my research areas is the process of environmental adaptation, how it proceeds at the genomic level, and how it applies to species and population persistence. My Ph.D. research has unraveled ancient population history in Yosemite toads (Anaxyrus canorus), demonstrated adaptive differences in their larval development rates, and suggested that secondary contact zones could catalyze genetic adaptation to climate change.

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