March 2022

Happy 2022!
  • I moved to the Granite State! I am now a postdoc in the Harvey Plankton Lab @ UNH. My research foci include the cellular crosstalk of coccolithophore-bacterial interactions as well as dinoflagellate feeding ecology. I look forward to expanding my culturing repertoire to include coccolithophores, bacteria, and other microalgae!
  • I moved just in time to attend the 50th Benthic Ecology Meeting in my backyard (Portsmouth, NH).
  • Our first Eco-DAS XIV paper was published in Limnology & Oceanography Bulletin. The climate feedbacks group is gearing up for our first writing retreat in Boston, MA! 

October 2021

Another round of #SummerScienceShenanigans in the books!​​ Some highlights:
  • I am enjoyed working with undergraduates Alison Thorson (Sarah Lawrence College) and Rosie Bailey (URI) to study polyp bailout in the lace coral, Pocillopora acuta 
  • The Symbiodiniaceae Diversity workshop was a collaborative and positive experience!
  • The Putnam Lab introduced Rhode Islander's to our new state coral at The Matunuck Community Association's lecture series and URI Graduate School of Oceanography's Science Saturday
  • It's no trek to Hawaii, but ASLO Eco-DAS XIV is coming up!
  • Our paper (Baker et al 2021) on the eco-evo dynamics of a bacterial symbiont was published in ISMEJ! ​

June 2021

Wow! A year flew by! Stay tuned for a website overhaul. In the meantime, here are some exciting updates! I won't wait a year for the next round of updates...
  • Our Coral Reefs paper (on how the diversity of Symbiodiniaceae trace metal needs opens many doors to study the functional physiology and natural ecology of symbioses) received an honorable mention for the 2020 Best Paper award.
  • The sequel (on how iron limitation sensitizes dinoflagellate response to heat stress) was published as a Bold Award paper in the Journal of Phycology.
  • Fun collaborations with The Baums Lab have come to fruition! The first coral-Symbiodiniaceae SNPchip was published (lead by S. Kitchen)! Our Symbiodinium 'fitti' draft genome and SNP list was published at Molecular Ecology. Briefly, genomic variation of S. 'fitti' reflects mutualism with its endangered acroporid hosts identity and provides a snapshot of recent coral-algal co-evolution. Since S. 'fitti' cannot (yet) be reared using algal culturing techniques, its genetic diversity is tied its endangered hosts.
  • I have had the joy of mentoring many fantastic trainees. Being a part of their careers and highlighting their successes is my favorite part of my job! ​
    • Shane Tripp (Penn State '21) completed his senior thesis on the metalloenzyme of Palauan corals and received the Norman Freed Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. He will continue his studies at Drexel Medical School in the fall!
    • Kudos to S. Gray and A. Farraj for their recent graduation from URI! 
    • Caleb Butler, newly minted Penn State PhD Candidate, received a NSF GRFP!
    • Amanda Grima received a UTS research excellence scholarship for her study of coral elementomes! I am thrilled to be a part of her supervising committee (with E. Camp, D. Suggett, D.  Clases).
  • This year's round of #SummerScienceShenanigans is underway! More on my foray into polyp bailout and coral-on-a-chip culturing to come soon!
  • My online lab notebook is live! Yay open science! 

June 2020

​At last, this website is live! The past few months have been a roller coaster: PhD defense, 1st PhD paper published in Coral Reefs, moving to Rhode Island during a pandemic, adopted a feral cat (Belle), and started a postdoc in the Putnam lab at URI! Wishing everyone a safe summer.