Rita is a Microbiology PhD Candidate and NSF Fellow at University of California Berkeley. Her thesis work is focused on identifying uncharacterized host factors that limit Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. She is a native of Seattle but adventured to Iowa for undergrad at Grinnell College. After graduating, Rita was a Post-baccalaureate Fellow at the National Institutes of Health for two years where she studied the genetics of the bacterium that makes anthrax. In her free time Rita likes to hike, drive to the ocean for beach picnics, bake cookies, and care for her many plants.