I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. I did chemical biology-oriented research under Mark Distefano, where my primary project was focused on the synthesis and characterization of two-photon photoactivatable protecting groups for the caging and subsequent release of thiols. I now work for both the Glazer lab and Butterfield lab at the University of Kentucky. My research in the Glazer lab focuses on the synthesis of novel photosenstive coordination complexes designed with chemotherapeutic application in mind. My research in the Butterfield lab explores the etiology, pathology and treatment of neurodegenerative disease resutling from 'normal' aging processes, Down Syndrom pathophysiology, and chemotherapy-mediated damage.