Auni is a first-year Integrative and Biomedical Physiology PhD student at Penn State University working with Dr. Lacy Alexander. Born and raised in rural Kansas, Auni obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees in Kinesiology with a physiology emphasis from Kansas State University. Having begun her undergrad education as a pre-health student and certified nurse aide, Auni was drawn to the research being done on the cardiovascular diseases so prevalent in her community. She completed her thesis work in 2021 on the topic of neural control of the blood pressure response to movement in a rodent model of peripheral artery disease. She then began her doctoral work at Penn State investigating the effects of various conditions such as endometriosis on microvascular function in humans. Auni is broadly interested in vascular function, women's health, sex as a biological variable, and equitable representation in research. In her free time she enjoys hiking, reading, movies, and searching for the best hard cider in Pennsylvania.