I am an Assistant Professor in paleontology, as well as an Aussie and an avid ceramicist that found her way to working at the University of Missouri, Department of Geological Sciences. Much of my previous research has focused on the paleobiology, functional morphology, and preservation of a group of organisms known as small shelly fossils from the Cambrian Period, in addition to tracing their appearances (and disappearances) through time. Recently, my work has focused on the implicit preservational and sampling biases introduced in this record that might skew our perceptions of abundances and occurrences of these shelly organisms throughout this time period. Using a combination of high-powered imaging (such as micro-CT), petrographic, and geochemical techniques I am able to tease apart the sources of such biases to gain a more holistic view of the fossil record. But besides this central focus, my interests range far and wide. Student projects span various geological periods and fossil groups, from Cambrian reefs, to Silurian jellyfish, to late Eocene fossilized dung!