​​I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and the allure of the ocean drew me to the beaches, and eventually to the Red Sea. Prior to moving to Saudi Arabia, I obtained a double B.S. degree at the Johns Hopkins University in biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering. I obtained my M.S. at KAUST in 2010 in marine science when I decided to stay on to work towards my Ph.D. My research with the Voolstra lab involves the identification of bioactive molecules, both from crude extracts and from the genetic code of whole metabolic synthesis pathways isolated from marine-associated bacteria. These molecules will be tested in an assay designed to identify Dengue virus entry inhibitors. Eventually, I hope to expand this search for natural products that are active against other pathogenic viruses.