Spencer joined UMD in 2026 as a Quantitative Biology Initiative postdoctoral fellow, focusing on the modeling of bacterial evolution and bacterial-phage interactions. His research centers on developing mathematical frameworks designed to solidify core elements of ecology and evolution. Previously, he graduated from Kansas State University with a BS in physics and an MS in pure mathematics before working as a junior research scientist in an NYU lab dedicated to the mathematical modeling of cancer ecology. This role sparked a growing interest in biology, leading him to join the department as a graduate student and ultimately earn a PhD in Biology from NYU.