Hi! I’m Nicole.
I graduated from The College of New Jersey with my B.S. in Biology in 2019. During my time there, I did undergraduate research with Dr. K.T. Elliott, using the model organism Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1. After graduation, I worked as a research technician in Dr. Mark Peifer’s lab at The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. I originally planned to return to the Northeast for graduate school, but like so many others, fell in love with the charm of the Research Triangle and decided to stay in North Carolina for my PhD!
Currently, I’m a third-year Microbiology & Immunology PhD candidate in Dr. Rita Tamayo’s lab, where we study the antibiotic-associated pathogen Clostridioides difficile. My thesis work is interested in how selective pressures affect flagellum and toxin phase variation and consequently, the spatial and temporal localization of phase variants during CDI. I’m broadly interested in bacterial genetics, host-pathogen interactions, and mechanisms of pathogenesis.
In my free time, I enjoy traveling, cooking, yoga, weightlifting, video games, and hiking. I live with my partner and our dog, Belle, in cozy Hillsborough, N.C.