I'm Krista (she/her)

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I'm a researcher studying convergent evolution, specifically that of legless lizards and snakes. I also work as a grant finder in the Office of Research Development at the University of Vermont. In addition to research, I am also working to diversify academia.

 

According to research, necessity is not the mother of invention, diversity is. Great inventions like mRNA vaccines and pizza were born from different ideas from different places and schools of thought coming together. It's also apparent in the fossil record that diversity is key to surviving through periods of rapid change. Essentially, for the best science that will benefit us all most, especially now, we need diverse minds in research. However there are a number of systemic factors that keep the scientific community homogenous.

 

To mitigate some of these systemic barriers, I became the co-chair of the Diversity committee of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. The committee has done things like improve the way conference attendees request disability accommodations, and hosted a panel discussion on how Indigenous North Americans interact with fossil collection and museum collections. 

 

Through the committee, I also started a workshop series, the Graduate School Application Preparation Group. This annual, free, cohort-based series walks prospective graduate students through the process of applying to graduate school. It covers topics such as writing CVs, reaching out to potential advisors, how to read scientific papers, and how to figure out if a lab is a good fit. Participants also peer edit each other's application materials.

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I also have ADHD!

My hobbies include birdwatching, photography, Photoshop, and singing Disney songs to my dog, Watson, and my cats, Holmes and Moriarty.