She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (USA) in 2004. She then moved from her home country of the USA to Germany and completed a Master of Science degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Universität Bremen in 2006. In 2014 she obtained her PhD in Microbiology from the Universität Bremen. In her most current research, two Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) gene clusters found within the genome of a grass endophyte were characterized. T6SS gene expression and protein secretion were examined for their role in the colonization of a grass host. Throughout her academic career, Theresa has acquired diverse experience instructing courses and has found that her passion lies in teaching and assisting students to become confident, competent scientists in and out of the laboratory. Her objective is to encourage students to be self-motivated investigators.