I am a lecturer at Rice University, where I am teaching classes in Neuroscience. My lab courses cover everything from basic methods and experiments used in neuroscience research labs to engagement in active research on Campus. I am teaching lectures and seminar-style courses for undergraduates and I am engaged in science outreach via our club and course “BrainSTEM”.

I received my doctorate at the University of Oldenburg, Germany, in Neuroscience and Animal Behavior. I studied the sensors, mechanisms and neuronal pathways that enable birds to travel incredibly long distances while relying only on the Earth’s magnetic field as a navigational cue. I continued working on this topic during my Postdoctoral time at Baylor College of Medicine. Here, I worked with homing pigeons that we released from outside the city and had them return to their pigeon loft on the roof of Baylor. In the lab we did brain recordings from pigeons in different magnetically altered environments.

Science outreach is a very important topic for me. Next to BrainSTEM we have a number of clubs at Rice that cover topics in Neuroscience: The Rice Neuroscience Society, Pancakes for Parkinsons, Alzheimer’s Buddies and soon Rice Best Buddies (link will follow).

When I’m not working, you will find me outside on the trails, either running, walking my dogs, or riding horses.