Michelle Davison was born and raised in California. A pervasive sense of wonder for living things has been a strong motivating force in her life, leading her in seemingly opposite directions: on one hand, a love of scientific discovery, and the other, creative expression.  In her quest to combine her two interests, she founded a global online art shop in 2009, Arteriole, specializing in botanical wedding certificates, received a Ph.D in Biology from Stanford University in 2013, and is currently a Postdoctoral researcher in the Bhaya Lab. She has been a mentor for the California College of Arts Biodesign class two semesters running, and hopes to forge a career combining her two loves in the not-so-distant future.