Rachel received her B.S in Chemistry from Bowling Green State University in 2018. While at BGSU, she was advised by Dr. Joseph Furgal and Dr. Alexis Ostrowski, working with silsesquioxane-based composites to improve the physical properties of photo-healing polymers. Upon graduation, she began her Ph.D. under the direction of Dr. Michael Schulz in the Department of Chemistry at Virginia Tech. Her dissertation research focuses on the design and synthesis of sialic acid-containing polymers for antiviral applications. Throughout graduate school, Rachel became heavily involved in teaching, mentorship, and service to the chemistry and university communities. She is excited to bring that same energy to the University of Florida as a postdoctoral researcher for the Wagener and Evans Labs. While at UF, she will be working on ADMET monomer and polymer synthesis and analyzing bulk polymer properties. Outside of research she enjoys watching movies, attending concerts, and traveling.