
B.S. – Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, 2012
Prior to coming to Texas Tech University, I conducted research to study the effects of contaminants on snakes as an undergraduate, and then I worked as a fisheries observer in Alaska, as well as a research technician on several projects that studied turtles in Illinois. I recently graduated from TTU with a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology. My doctoral research focused on conducting studies required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to register a medicated feed to treat parasites in wild northern bobwhite. I also used molecular techniques to identify potential intermediate hosts of those parasites. For my post-doctoral research, I wish to continue studying the impacts parasites have on wild bobwhite.

M.Sc. Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, India 2003
B. Sc. Biochemistry, Periyar University, India 2001
I graduated with a Ph.D in Biotechnology from the University of Madras (Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture-ICAR) in November 2011. My doctoral research has focused on identifying novel seafood allergens (Pen m 3.0101, Pen m 4.0101 & Pen m 6.0101) in black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon. My previous research experience dealt with the molecular epidemiology of ticks and tick borne diseases, and epidemiological studies focusing on anthelmintic resistance in nematodes that affect ruminants. The objective was to identify potential recombinant vaccine candidates to combat parasite infections in ruminants. As a Post-Doctoral Research Investigator in the Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory, I wish to advance our understanding of the pathogenicity and life cycle of parasites in quail.

M.S. – Wildlife Ecology, Texas State University, 2019
My prior research experience focused on an introduced trematode that infects waterfowl. I surveyed waterfowl across much of Texas to determine prevalence and intensity while also describing the pathology associated with infection. I also conducted an experiment to better understand the behavior of one infective stage of the parasite. My research at TTU will focus on the impacts of parasites on Bobwhite Quail population in the Rolling Plains and will include developing a protocol that utilizes recent advances in DNA sequencing to monitor the endoparasite communities of wildlife.

I completed my undergraduate degree in Zoological sciences, during which I was heavily involved in various wildlife research projects. My primary focus was on the Peaks of Otter Salamander, a threatened species endemic to only a few mountain peaks in central Virginia. However, my involvement in a project studying Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in frogs and its sister fungus B. salamandrivorans in salamanders quickly piqued a profound interest in epidemiological research, which brought me here to The Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory. Over the course of my graduate studies, I plan on researching the effects of various environmental factors on the epidemiology of parasites found in Bobwhite Quail. Hopefully, this will give vital insight into mitigating these detrimental infections in order to help restore the populations of the iconic gamebird species.




While completing my undergraduate degrees I worked in a neurobiology lab looking at the regenerative capabilities of South American electric fish. I looked after 2 -3 dozen fish of various species all of which had the ability to regrow large portions of their tales after they were removed. In the last year of my undergraduate studies I took part in a summer internship exploring the possibility of using cysteine dense proteins as a heat stable alternative to current snake antivenoms. These projects got me comfortable working with animals and taught me various laboratory techniques including microscopy and PCR. My work in the Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory here at TTU will focus on medicated feed treatment strategies.