About Me

I am a developmental scientist passionate about

autism research.

 

My interest in autism began at a young age. Growing up as the child of a special education teacher and a social worker, I quickly learned about the heterogenous nature of the autism spectrum. I often found myself wondering how my childhood best friend, who was a talented artist with above average verbal abilities, had the same diagnosis as some of my mom’s students and my dad’s patients, who were unable to produce sentences beyond one or two words and required 24/7 supervision. In the mid-2000s, my family started a small non-profit therapeutic horseback riding program for individuals with autism and other disabilities, where I volunteered for several years. Through this experience, I realized that I wanted to pursue a career in autism research that would merge my love for science with my passion for supporting the autism community.

 

I obtained my bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in neuroscience from the University of Maryland. As an undergraduate, I volunteered as a research assistant at the Developmental Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab and Kennedy Krieger Institute's Center for Autism and Related Disorders. These early research experiences further ignited my passion for pursuing a career in autism research. I then traveled to Massachusetts to complete my PhD in developmental psychology at Boston University where I conducted research at the Center for Autism Research Excellence. In my doctoral work, I used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), neuropsychological assessments, and natural language sampling to identify the neural, behavioral, and socioecological predictors of language abilities in autistic children. Currently, I am a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital's Lurie Center for Autism, where I am conducting research to 1) better characterize the speech, language, and communication abilities of minimally verbal autistic adults, and 2) identify the neurobiological bases of anxiety symptoms in autistic children and adolescents using psychophysiological measures, such as heart rate variability.

 

I am committed to improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in science and academia through service and mentorship. I currently serve as the co-chair of the International Society for Autism Research Student & Trainee Committee. I am also a founding member of the Society for fNIRS Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee. As a mentor, I strive to provide immersive research experiences to students from diverse backgrounds who have been historically excluded from the scientific community. I am particularly passionate about mentoring autistic students, and I value such mentorship as crucial to my research program.