Research Statement

I am a senior Biology student at Old Dominion University who has spent the past five
semesters of my college career in a research laboratory. While I have been a part of a research
laboratory, I have gained proficiency in several scientific methods. The techniques and research
experience have strengthened my knowledge of various aspects of biology and made my
coursework much easier. As I approach the end of my undergraduate degree, I intend to continue
my research experience into graduate school.
The past two years, I have participated in a variety of research projects and assignments
in my mentor’s lab. One of the ongoing projects was a study on ticks collected from birds in
Virginia. I, along with my partner, was tasked with morphologically identifying the collected
ticks by species and entering the identity into a database. Any ticks that could not be
distinguished by morphology alone had their DNA sequences analyzed. The results my partner
and I obtained are being prepared for publication in collaboration with others at Old Dominion.
Currently, my time is split between benchwork, writing, and analysis of data from three
separate projects. I am examining the prevalence of the parasitic protozoa, Babesia microti in
deer ticks collected from 2010-2017 in southeastern Virginia. This study involves DNA
extraction, rare-target real-time PCR, and Sanger sequencing. In addition, I am a part of a tick
population genetics study that is looking at haplotype distribution in the 16s rRNA gene among
Amblyomma maculatum and A. americanum ticks collected in Virginia. This project is part of a
grant funded by the NIH to look at the dynamics of tidewater spotted fever, a disease caused by
Rickettsia parkeri. I am also involved in animal handling and rearing of a tick colony that is used
for microbiome studies and population genetics. The projects I have worked on have given me
experience in not only methodology, but scientific literacy, and work ethic. Going forward, I
hope to use the skills I have developed to begin to answer my own research questions.
I plan to conduct research in the field of pathogenic microbiology. Since I began my
study of microbes, I was fascinated with the field of pathogenesis. I aspire to work on questions
that look at virulence and epidemiology of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Understanding why a disease emerges is necessary to study the factors that my drive an outbreak
or re-emergence in the future. Even today, in the era of antibiotics, infectious disease is a global
threat. Diseases are constantly emerging/reemerging and causing problems that require rigorous
research and work to solve. I would like to use the methodology and theory of microbiology and
pathogenesis and combine it with public health issues like neglected disease outbreaks.
Emerging diseases, habitat fragmentation, and an increase in human-animal contact are driving
zoonotic diseases forward, and a holistic approach is needed to stop it. I believe that applying a
One Health approach to address neglected diseases is needed to move forward in global public
health.