About
I am a PhD student studying the taphonomy of phosphatic fossilization. Taphonomy is the study of how fossils are formed. My science is ultimately driven by variations of these questions: What is the language in which the geologic record is written? How do we go about learning this language? How do we interpret what we read? What factors decide what is preserved and what is lost to time? Why do we have confidence in what we know about the geologic past? I choose to address these questions through field- and lab-based sedimentology, geochemistry, and geobiology. My interests primarily lie in the narratives held within deep time (Cambrian and earlier).
My love of geology ultimately comes from my love of storytelling and language; my fascination with geologic preservation comes from a fascination with epistemology; and my drive to pursue these questions comes from my drive to give others the opportunity to pursue geologic research. Not many get to engage with the world from this perspective, but as one of the lucky few I can say that this perspective has changed the way I engage with the world. I'd like to give as many students as possible the chance to see the Earth from the geologic viewpoint. I love learning and I love teaching, and aim to be a professor at a teaching-focused university in the future.