I received my B.A. degree with Honors in Chemical Physics at Swarthmore College with a research thesis on “The Study of Tenebrionid Beetle Secretions Using Solid Phase Microextraction, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, and Ion Mobility Spectrometry.” I pursued higher education in the graduate program at the University of California-Santa Barbara and received my Ph.D. in Chemistry for my doctoral dissertation entitled “Advances at the Interface: Merging Information Technologies with Genomic Methodologies.” My postdoctoral work at the Neuroscience Research Institute led to the creation of a smartphone-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification detection system that could be applied to quantitative, rapid pathogen detection at the point-of-care. From experiencing medical science start-ups to international aerospace conglomerates to FDA-regulated device companies, I am overjoyed to return to the innovative and creative Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCSB.