About Me
I received a B.S. in General Biology from Baylor University in Waco, TX. I graduated from the University of New Orleans in 2009 with a PhD. in Conservation Biology under the guidance of Dr. Nicola Anthony. My research focused on population and landscape genetics of the federally threatened gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). My primary objective was to provide useful data on genetic population structure to management entities, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which could be used guide recovery efforts. In addition to evaluating population structure, I utilized novel GIS tools to correlate specific landscape features with genetic data and identify possible barriers to gene flow. I also examined the relationship in gopher tortoises between seroprevalence of Mycoplasma agassizii, the causative agent of upper respiratory tract disease, and several environmental variables.
Following the completion of my dissertation, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Crystal N. Johnson at Louisiana State University from 2009-2012. There I studied genetic diversity of pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Scott France at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette examining the population genomics of deep-sea corals in the North Atlantic canyons. My current work is part of a larger project entitled Atlantic Canyons: Pathways to the Abyss. |