Kaitlin is an analytical chemist with research experience in microalgal characterization and marine biopolymer analysis. Her career studying microalgae began at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO, where she contributed to projects developing analytical methodologies for total organic carbon monitoring, spatial lipidomics, and untargeted metabolomics. To continue pursuing research at the intersection of chemistry and microbiology, Kaitlin completed her PhD at the Colorado School of Mines in collaboration with NREL.

During her PhD, Kaitlin’s research focused on the multifaceted analysis of algae and their associated biomolecules. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry imaging, she helped elucidate the intra-organismal lipid distribution in Arthrospira platensis. She also employed asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation and complementary chromatographic techniques to develop a separation approach for characterizing the physical and chemical properties of secreted extracellular polymers. This approach was later applied to study how physiological factors influence the structural and physical properties of these polymers.

Currently, as a postdoctoral associate working with Dr. Shady Amin and Dr. Francesco Paparella, Kaitlin contributes to research modeling the microbial loop in the Arabian Gulf by investigating the symbiotic interactions between phytoplankton and bacteria.