I graduated from Canisius College in 2014 with a B.S. in Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, a B.S. in Biology, and a minor in Anthrozoology. During my time at Canisius, I was involved in various research projects studying juvenile play, mother-calf attachment, and agonistic vocalizations in Killer Whales. Through these research efforts I won the Excellence in Animal Behavior Research Award in 2014. 

During my undergraduate time at Canisius, I was also heavily involved conservation outreach. I served as a Canisius Ambassador for Conservation. This position involved leading school groups on guided walks through Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. During these walks I taught students about wetlands and migratory bird ecology, while also demonstrating basic birding skills. As a Canisius Ambassador for Conservation, I also was a docent at the Buffalo Zoo, educating zoo patrons on the ecology of and conservation efforts surrounding, polar bears, North American river otters, and hellbenders. Through this service work I won the Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation Service Award in 2014. 

I received my PhD in May 2021 from the department of Psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. My research involved experimentally manipulating social factors of flocks of semi-captive Carolina chickadees (and sometimes tufted titmice) to determine the influence these factors have on social structure and communicative complexity. My primary advisor was Dr. Todd Freeberg. I received two research grants for my work at UTK: the Student Research Grant from the Animal Behavior Society and the Hesse Award from the American Ornithological Society. 

Since Jan 2022 I've been a Mendel Science Experience Postdoctoral Fellow at Villanova University working in Dr. Robert Curry's lab. I focus on communication and social behavior in a Carolina and black-capped chickadee hybrid zone. I also teach several classes, with focus on teaching biology to non-science majors through a genes and genealogy.