Lake Nerka, AK
Welcome!
I am an ecologist with a penchant for migratory fishes and chemical tracers. I am interested in conducting interdisciplinary research that is both informative to the basic ecology of aquatic taxa and directly relevant to their conservation. I am principally motivated to improve my understanding of the ecology of freshwater and anadromous fishes as a means to design effective conservation and recovery plans.
I’m a M.S. student in Daniel Schindler’s lab at the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. My graduate research quantifies movement patterns of federally threatened bull trout using microchemical records in their fin rays. The persistence of this migratory species depends on habitat connectivity, and a major conservation challenge is identifying the habitats that populations need to complete their life cycles. Using geochemical tracers archived in calcified structures, we can reconstruct the migratory patterns of individuals and identify the habitats used throughout the duration of their lives. The best part? We’re using fin rays as an alternative to otoliths! This novel technique allows us to answer questions about an ESA-listed species while circumventing mortality.
Following the completion of my Master’s degree, I aim to earn a PhD in pursuit of my ultimate goal of working as a lead research scientist. I have spent the past several years developing skills to be a strong contributor to the scientific community, with an overarching goal to lead a team that thinks critically about aquatic ecosystem ecology and conducts creative research with relevance to conservation and management. I hope to solve aquatic conservation issues, specifically in fish ecology, to sustain natural resources that are ecologically, culturally, and economically valuable. Salmonid research is ideal for this pursuit as these species are essential to freshwater and marine ecosystem function, and significant to many communities along the West Coast of North America.
Prior to graduate school, I worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Lacey, WA on a variety of ecological studies in western Washington. It was during this time that I developed a love and fascination for salmonids and Washington rivers. As I continue to grow as an early career scientist, I recognize my desire to work with kind people that think critically and creatively about ecological questions. I am grateful for my collaborators and colleagues, all of whom have presented various thoughtful perspectives that I have benefited from. In my free time, I enjoy spending time in the mountains with people that make me laugh.