I am a PhD Candidate in the Meineke Lab in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of California, Davis. I study anthropogenic effects on insects and ecologically important host plant species, including yellow star-thistle (Centaurea solstitialis), in Northern California. Prior to graduate school, I worked as a Biological Technician in the Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Unit at USDA in Albany, CA for three years, conducting host range testing with potential biological control agents on several invasive aquatic plant species.