Samantha grew up in Queens, NY. She received an B.S. in global and public health sciences from Cornell university. In undergrad, she investigated the structure and mechanisms of CRISPR-associated transposons and conducted an analysis on their ATPase activity. At Columbia, she joined the Riquelme group to study the immunometabolic relationship between hosts and bacteria to better understand infectious pulmonary diseases pathology. Currently, she is trying to understand the interplay between host immunometabolism, P. aeruginosa bioenergetics, and the ability of these organisms to cause disease. In her free time, she enjoys trying new foods in NYC, spending time with friends and family, and watching new tv shows/movies.