My journey as a substance abuse researcher began as an undergraduate at Western Michigan University, where I worked under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Baker, Dr. Mark Rzeszutek, and Dr. Harmony Risca. I studied the rewarding properties of MDMA combined with synthetic cathinones, better known as ‘bath salts’, in male and female rodents. This work kickstarted my career as a researcher, and I am now a 5th year graduate student in the Cognitive Neuroscience program working under Drs. Michael Bardo and Jill Turner. 

My research is focused on developing translational preclinical rodent models of opioid use disorder (OUD) with a focus on escalation of high-potency synthetic opioids and the development of adrenergic adjuncts to traditional fentanyl countermeasures. I am interested in developing novel treatments for substance use disorders and uncovering the neural mechanisms that underpin these behaviors. Moreover, I am uncovering transcriptomic differences related to a phenotype that is prone to escalate fentanyl self-administration. It is my goal to improve upon current rodent models to better mimic the human condition in the hopes of improving clinical treatment outcomes.