I am a Senior Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Specialist at dsm-firmenich where my focus is on understanding the mechanisms of action through which human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) contribute to the healthy development of infants. I have a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado-Boulder and did postdoctoral research with Fredrik Bäckhed at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, where I studied how the gut microbiome affects host metabolism in animal models. Prior to joining dsm-firmenich in 2022, I worked as a Research Scientist and Team Manager for seven years in Human Health Research at Chr. Hansen in Denmark, where I led and conducted research on probiotics, HMOs and the gut microbiome.