As much as I enjoy scientific research, I am also passionate about teaching both in and out of the classroom. My teaching philosophy is to prioritize building curiosity, developing skills, and fostering scientific thinking. I focus on big-picture concepts, transferrable skills, and thinking through examples, rather than on recalling any given piece of information, viewing much of the factual content as a means to these ends and as an opportunity to engage student interest.

I have taught human evolution as instructor of record, as well as multiple classes as a teaching assistant (see CV for details). I am currently an NIH IRACDA postdoctoral fellow with the Emory FIRST program and will be teaching at Spelman College during the 2024-2025 academic year.

I also strive to bring science into K-12 classrooms and to the public, so as to increase accessibility to science and scientists. Countless polls have shown that the majority of Americans have never met a scientist and many can’t even name a living scientist. Furthermore, as early as elementary school, students overwhelmingly picture scientists as white males. It is important to me to do science outreach for a variety of reasons including 1) getting students excited about science and helping them realize that science is a career option, 2) developing familiarity with the scientific method, 3) broadening views on what scientists look like, and 4) building connections in local communities, including students, parents, and teachers.

I am excited to pursue a career as a scholar-educator and will be on the job market soon!