Look up at the stars and not down at your feet.  Try to make sense of what you see,
and wonder about what makes the universe exist.  Be curious.
Stephen Hawking
About Me
 Research Positions
-Postdoctoral Fellow working on ZooMS and palaeoproteomics - Max Planck, Jena
-Marie Curie Fellow working on archaeological fish remains - University of York
-Newton International Fellow working on archaeological fish remains - University of York
-PhD research on DNA preservation in extreme environments - Penn State University
-MSc research on fish proteomics - University of York
-MS research on Microarry research and development - University of Pennsylvania

Education
-PhD in Biology and Astrobiology - Penn State University (2014)
-MSc with Distinction in Archaeological Sciences - University of Bradford (2009)
-MS in Chemistry - University of Pennsylvania (2006)
-BA in Biochemistry with minor in Mathematics - University of Pennsylvania (2006)
-BA in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations - University of Pennsylvania (2006) 

College Teaching Positions
-GTA for Accessing Archaeology - University of York
-Marking for Prehistory to the Present - University of York
-Instructor for Animal Development and Physiology (Biol 240) - Penn State University
-Instructor for Graduate Pedagogy Course (Biol 598) - Penn State University
-TA Coordinator for introductory biology labs (Biol 110, 220, 230, 240) - Penn State University
-TA for introductory biology labs (Biol 110, 230) - Penn State University
-Lab Demonstrator for Foundation Year Bio and Chem labs - University of Bradford
-Presentation Adviser, Communication within the Curriculum - University of Pennsylvania

Personal Interests
 
Persephone
My Shetland Sheep Dog is a friendly, shedding dog who loves running and playing with her Frisbee. She is enjoying living in the UK where the weather isn't as hot as it was in Pennsylvania, but she misses snow.

 
  I've just met you, but can we snuggle?
 I'm soaking wet and want in!
 There is something in the wind.


Pysanky
My father's family immigrated to the US from the boarder between the Ukraine and Russian in the early 1900s.  I learned how to write Ukrainian Easter Eggs from an early age and now do so on a regular basis, mostly for personal pleasure, but occasionally on commission.  I also run low cost workshops for individuals or groups who might be interested in learning the traditional craft either from a religious or crafting perspective.


 
 Mix of traditional and modern designs.
 More complex design
 Examples of eggs from a student workshop.

Percussion
I enjoy rhythmic and percussion based music with a soft spot for mallet instruments.  I have played with a number of local groups as a percussionist and practice on a Marimba One instrument which is an incredibly balanced and mellow instrument.

Sacred spaces and music
I have a background in understanding religious practice and the element of the sacred in religion and daily life.  I enjoy liturgical music and am currently singing with the Rudgate singers in York who perform liturgical music around Yorkshire in churches and at events.  Religion has played an important function in society and I am interested in how science can create a framework for understanding the sacred and our place, as humans, in the world which has traditionally been dominated by religion.  I also travel around sitting and writing in traditional scared spaces of different groups of people.