The brain and behavior have always been of interest to me, well before my entry into the Wenthur Lab. My desire to study these topics was what initially drove me to pursue an education and career in neuroscience.

Originally from Minneapolis, I graduated with honors and a BS in neuroscience from the University of St. Thomas. During my time as an undergrad I became fascinated with various mood disorders, namely anxiety and depression, as well as substance use disorders. These health problems have been studied for decades, and are known to be intimately related. However, treatment options are severely lacking. Progress towards finding better treatment options requires further research and better understanding of the neuroscience underlying these disorders. I knew I wanted to go into research to help find novel therapeutic targets or interventions for anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders.

After graduation I spent some time as a research technician at the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, studying nicotine and opioid use. I was also a research technician within the University of Minnesota’s Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, looking for novel and promising therapeutic targets for treating effects of chronic stress. Now, I continue my passion here at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Dr. Cody Wenthur’s lab.

My research is looking to uncover the mechanisms behind some rapidly acting antidepressant compounds like the dissociative anesthetic ketamine and the classical psychedelic psilocybin, two compounds that have been shown to be promising and effective treatments for depression and other disorders.