Molly graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) with a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Animal Science. While working on her master’s at UNR Molly published work on parasite abundance and diversity in woodrats which further piqued her interest in disease ecology and how it applies to wildlife ecology. Soon after Molly completed her master’s degree she started work in the herpetology lab at UNR helping collect tissue samples of desert tortoises to assess disease. She was hired at the USGS as a desert tortoise biologist. Here she worked on several research projects, including a project focused on disease and health of tortoise populations. For her PhD, she studied tick-borne disease in desert tortoises and how ticks and the pathogens they carry interact with their common host, the Mojave desert tortoise. Currently she is working on a post-doc in which she is studying how climate change affects pathogen transmission in salamanders. She uses mathematical models and laboratory experimentation in her analyses. In her free time she also enjoys hikes with her dogs, backpacking, river rafting, climbing, yoga and enjoying everything Arizona has to offer.
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Awards and Outreach Highlights:
2017-2020: President & Co-Founder, Northern Arizona Association for Women in STEM
2018-2019: College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences Graduate Student Government Representative
2018-2019: Biological Sciences (NAU) Graduate Student of the year
2018-2019: Achievement Rewards for College Scholars (ARCS) awardee
2019-2020: Achievement Rewards for College Scholars (ARCS) awardee
2020: Northern Arizona University Diversity Award
2020-2021: Achievement Rewards for College Scholars (ARCS) awardee
2020-2021: Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Disease (PAC VEC) Training Grant awardee
2017-2020: President & Co-Founder, Northern Arizona Association for Women in STEM
2018-2019: College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences Graduate Student Government Representative
2018-2019: Biological Sciences (NAU) Graduate Student of the year
2018-2019: Achievement Rewards for College Scholars (ARCS) awardee
2019-2020: Achievement Rewards for College Scholars (ARCS) awardee
2020: Northern Arizona University Diversity Award
2020-2021: Achievement Rewards for College Scholars (ARCS) awardee
2020-2021: Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Disease (PAC VEC) Training Grant awardee