Get to know the Funga crew with this newest installment of our "Meet the Team" series. Come back monthly to meet more team members, hear about their journey to Funga, and understand their vital role in our community.
We’re big fans of the “Today I get to….” mentality. So, what do you get to do every day at Funga?
At Funga, I get to explore the secret life of fungi! Using cutting-edge DNA sequencing, we dive into underground microbial communities, tracking the fungi that help forests grow. This data powers our machine learning models, guiding us to find and restore the best fungal partners for trees. Every day, I get to lead our sequencing investigations – playing detective with dirt and DNA to uncover the hidden fungi that make ecosystems flourish!.
If you had to explain what Funga does to a third grader, what would you say?
We find good fungal communities that make trees grow better and measure them.
Tell us a little bit about your life. How did it lead you to Funga?
Growing up on a sailboat in southeast Alaska, I developed a deep connection and curiosity for the natural world, which guided me into a career as a professional research scientist specializing in microbial ecology biogeochemistry. I am fascinated by how invisible microbes drive Earth's systems. I’ve spent thirteen years conducting environmental research spanning conservation, restoration, and large-scale Earth system science, focusing on how microbes shape nutrient cycling, weathering dynamics, ecosystem processes and respond to climate change. I’ve also developed databases and tools to advance microbial research. I’m excited I am able to apply this expertise to our work at Funga to translate this knowledge into real world applications.
What is your favorite part of the job?
I love working with kind, smart, passionate, talented and funny people! My favorite aspect of being a scientist is working on large collaborative research projects. At Funga we do ecology at scale, which has been awesome to grow and help develop. I think we have created a friendly and competitive team culture. We solve tough problems and we make each other laugh while doing it.
What is one workflow/productivity tool or trick that you can’t live without?
For deep work, I am a fan of “lofi hip hop beats to study, relax chill to” and lighting a candle to get into a flow state. I like to write my tasks down in a notebook and also make sure to make movement a part of my daily routine. Healthy body = healthy and productive mind!
What trivia round would you know every answer to?
Bear ecology and behavior, classic rock, and 90s trends.
Can you share a favorite memory of/with the Funga team?
One of my favorite memories was from our offsite in Pennsylvania. We did karaoke, dressed in ridiculous outfits, and I was both impressed and inspired by the incredible talent on our team. Watching one of our team members snatch the microphone from our CEO’s hand to absolutely crush Limp Bizkit might just be a new core memory! Bold move and I love it.
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