Andrea received her B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience with a minor in Philosophy from Northeastern University in Boston, MA in 2008 followed by a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from University of California, Davis in Davis, CA in 2014. At the UC Davis MIND Institute, a hub of interdisciplinary research and clinical medicine serving several neurodevelopmental disorders, she studied children, in particular girls, with genetic syndromes that confer elevated risk for psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment. Her long-term goal is to be a college professor to research how genetics and environment interact to influence cognitive development, to promote an appreciation for how neuroscience relates to our daily lives, and to empower students to take ownership of their education. 

As a post doctoral scholar for the ADVANCE program, Andrea conducts statistical analyses as a part of the joint administration-senate oversight committee on faculty salary equity. Additionally, she provides data analysis to the ADVANCE Leadership Team in support of the National Science Foundation third year site visit.