As a freshman in college, I had a work-study position as a lab assistant in a molecular systematics and biogeography lab. I was immediately hooked, and I conducted research throughout college!

• Flexibility—I currently work with several microbes that I was not initially familiar with.
• Creativity—I am one of two evolutionary/computational biologists in my branch, and there are lots of questions to answer.
• Computation skills—Again, I'm one of two evolutionary/computational biologists, so I must continue developing my skills to be effective.
• The ability to collaborate—Some of the best ideas and results come from collaborations!
• Communication skills—You can't collaborate if you can't effectively convey information, especially if your collaborator knows little to nothing about what you do.

I was lucky enough to have several available courses and workshops at my university during graduate school. I also had numerous friends and lab mates that I could contact if I needed help.

I currently research antibiotic resistance Neisseria gonorrhoeae using whole genome sequencing. Our questions are geared towards the evolution of resistance, specific genes that confer resistance, and national and regional transmission networks.