Where are you now? Tell us what you've been up to since completing your Field Museum Women in Science fellowship.
After graduating with my PhD in Evolutionary biology from the University of Chicago and leaving the Field Museum, I became a postdoctoral fellow in Biodiversity Genomics at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. I’m currently a Data Scientist at the Smithsonian and co-founded the Smithsonian Data Science Lab. Big data has arrived in biodiversity research due to rapid change in the types and volume of data that researchers can use to ask and answer their scientific questions. I work with Smithsonian researchers to use techniques such as deep machine learning, to generate insights from their data, whether they are derived from genome sequencing, ecological sensors, or mass digitization of museum objects.
Where are your plans for the future?
I am really excited by all the potential projects I can undertake at a place like the Smithsonian Institution and all the researchers with whom I can collaborate. I plan to stay at the Smithsonian and continue to build the Data Science Lab into a place that works with all kinds of data from across the institution, from genomes, to digital images, to text, audio, and video.
How did your Field Museum Women in Science Fellowship impact you?
The Field Museum Women in Science fellowship I received enabled me to fully focus on research during the final year of my PhD studies, which can be a stressful time.
What advice would you give to women interested in pursuing an education or career in STEM fields?
I would advise women interested in STEM to explore the diverse career opportunities that exist, from academia to government and even industry and to not hesitate to reach out to women scientists they admire for guidance along the way. I have learned so much from women mentors and colleagues.
What are you most looking forward to in the next year?
My first postdoctoral fellow just started here at the Data Science Lab, and I’m looking forward to welcoming two more this summer. Developing a research group with diverse interests and skills has allowed me to really begin thinking big about projects we might pursue.
If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why?
I really like red pandas, and luckily we have them in the National Zoo here in DC. One thing that’s interesting about them is that they have fur on the bottoms of their paws so they stay warm walking in the snow.
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