I am a food systems researcher and data scientist working to advance the resilience of food production and distribution systems. I apply computational modeling tools to the study of existing and potential local-regional food systems.

Please see below for my Curriculum Vitae, or you can view and download a formatted version.

education

Master of Science, Nutrition | September 2011 – Spring 2013 (expected)
TUFTS UNIVERSITY, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy – Agriculture, Food, and Environment Program
Advisors: Dr. Timothy Griffin and Dr. Christian Peters
Coursework: food and agricultural policy, statistics, economics, and geospatial modeling

Bachelor of Arts, Food Systems and Spatial Analysis | September 2006 – May 2010
HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE, School of Natural Science
Thesis: Facing the Future of Food: a spatial and economic analysis of local food systems in Massachusetts
Advisors: Dr. Lawrence Winship, Dr. Christina Cianfrani, and Dr. Stanley Warner
Coursework: local and global foodways, nutrition, GIS, Buddhist and Continental philosophy

experience

Research Assistant | November 2011 – present
TUFTS UNIVERSITY, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Research for “Enhancing Food Security of Underserved Populations in the Northeast through Sustainable Regional Food Systems”, an interdisciplinary research effort connecting institutions across the Northeast U.S. My research for the project focuses on spatial modeling of agricultural production and food industry clustering patterns.

Research Intern | May 2012 – September 2012
URBAN DESIGN LAB, The Earth Institute at Columbia University
Research on determinants of urban and peri-urban agricultural practices across the U.S.
using spatio-temporal statistical methods. GIS network analysis contribution to food hub feasibility
studies.

Research Intern | May 2012 – October 2012
CROP SYSTEMS AND GLOBAL CHANGE LAB, USDA- Agricultural Research Service
Scale up crop growth simulation models to high performance cluster computing platform, reducing
process time by orders of magnitude. Develop high-resolution spatial meteorology data inputs for
crop models.

Research Intern | June 2011 – September 2011
LAND FOR GOOD
Land For Good is a non-profit group working to support the farmers, landowners, and communities
that keep New England’s agricultural farmland land trusts and land planning working. Projects included GIS-based landscape analysis, feasibility study and economic impact assessment of a proposed
food hub, and community engagement and outreach.

Brewer | August 2010 – August 2011
KATALYST KOMBUCHA, LLC.
Katalyst Kombucha produces a traditionally fermented and organic probiotic beverage for
distribution across the Northeast and Canada. Responsibilities of the position include preparing
product for fermentation, care of the fermentative cultures, flavoring, bottling, as well as
product testing and documentation.

awards and honours

Dow Chemical Company Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Award | May 2012
Tufts Institute of the Environment Graduate Student Fellowship | March 2012
Academic Scholarship at Tufts University | 2011-2013
Ray and Lorna Coppinger Endowment Grant | November 2010
Academic Scholarships at Hampshire College | 2006-2010

research areas

food systems, local and regional food systems, foodshed analysis and mapping, supply chain analysis, food hubs, data science, data visualization, spatio-temporal econometrics, complex systems, graph theory, high-performance computing, economic geography

technical competencies

ArcGIS Desktop Suite, Python, [R], PostgreSQL, mySQL, , Latex, Neo4j Graph Database, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Suite, Prezi