In his undergraduate studies he became interested in the gut microbiome largely due to its complexity and the growing implications it has with health. Following his undergraduate studies, he came to the University of Nebraska - Lincoln to pursue a PhD in the Complex Biosystems program in the Nebraska Food for Health Center.

Alison is a PhD candidate in Dr. Samodha Fernandos lab housed in the Animal Science Department. Her research entails mitigating infectious diseases in production livestock and investigating alternative methods for prophylactic antibiotic usage. She also manages the Non-Ruminant Research Lab within the Animal Science building where she enjoys mentoring and teaching both graduate and undergraduate students.