I am a 25-year-old Canadian nomad who loves unfenced countries and unguessed-at life. Someday I'd love to launch off this planet, but for now, I'm happy exploring some of the most alien and extreme environments here on Earth. In the past few years, I've been lucky enough to live in a ger (yurt) in Mongolia, battle leeches in a Bornean rainforest, fall in love with all things ice and mountains on the Juneau Icefield of Alaska, explore the Mars-like Dry Valleys of Antarctica, cycle the Silk Road in northwestern China, and trek and climb in the Himalaya of northern India.

I am joining the High Lakes 2007 expedition as a research assistant to Nathalie Cabrol. In the Andes, I'm particularly interested in the diversity and survival strategies of bacteria and archaea in the summit lakes we'll be exploring. Ultimately, this research will advance our understanding of the structure and function of aquatic microbial ecosystems on Earth, and also inform our understanding of the habitability potential - past and present - of Mars.