Thea Gessler
Graduate Student at Iowa State University
Living in Iowa, United States
Thea is a scientist with a deep love for the humanities. Born and raised near the boreal wilderness of north-eastern Minnesota in the United States, she grew up around artists and polar explorers. She credits this experience with helping to foster her love of the outdoors (especially winter) and engaging with creative, unconventional ideas.
Following her undergraduate studies in biology and religion at Concordia College, she decided to pursue a PhD with the long-term goal of pursuing a teaching career at a liberal arts college. Thea is currently working on her PhD in genetics and genomics at Iowa State University, where she studies sex determination in turtles, focusing on the interplay of the environment and genetics over evolutionary time. During graduate school, she became involved with science communication initiatives in order to exercise her desire to generate and develop interdisciplinary ideas. She is thrilled to begin learning and growing in leadership with her fellow members of Team HB7. Gardening and cross-country skiing are some of her favourite ways to play in her free time.
