My fascination with cephalopods has defined every aspect of my life. When I was three years old, I was gifted Joyce Milton’s book “Whales and Other Creatures of the Sea” for Christmas. There is a page that depicts a giant squid and sperm whale fighting while sailors look on in the distance. The last line of the page reads “Few people have ever seen a living giant squid. It is one of the most mysterious creatures in the sea.“ From that moment on, I wanted to be one of those lucky few, and my love for cephalopods has grown each and every day since.


In 2015 I began working as an aquarist at Jenkinson’s Aquarium, where I became involved in cephalopod aquaculture for the first time. In 2018 I moved to the New York Aquarium to work on their award-winning exhibit, Ocean Wonders: Sharks!. After being promoted to senior aquarist, I opened an invertebrate-themed exhibit, Spineless. Shortly before leaving the New York Aquarium, I was appointed the Species Survival Plan (SSP) Coordinator of Flamboyant Cuttlefish for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).


I joined the Axel lab in 2021 as the Cephalopod Facility Manager. There, I oversee the culturing of the dwarf cuttlefish (Ascarosepion bandense), a dynamic cephalopod species used by the lab to study the neural basis of camouflage.


Somehow, my search for the giant squid almost 30 years ago has led me to some of the ocean’s smallest cephalopods. Since then, I have had the immense privilege of raising thousands of cephalopods through multiple generations. I am thankful for every moment I get to spend with these amazing organisms.