Education

B.S., Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology, UC Davis

Ph.D., Ecology, University of Wyoming

Research interests

I use molecular techniques to study wildlife populations with the goal of informing conservation and management. I investigate evolutionary and ecological processes underlying the relationships between spatiotemporal patterns of genomic variation and behavior, demographics, landscape characteristics, disease, and more. I am particularly interested in population genetics and genetics for captive breeding and reintroduction programs.

Research projects

Alternative spawning strategies for Delta smelt in a conservation hatchery - we are collaborating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Lab, and other collaborators to develop hatchery spawning strategies that will increase production of Delta smelt to supplement the wild population while maintaining genetic diversity. We are using a combination of experiments and simulations to inform hatchery production.

Domestication selection in captive Delta smelt - we are building off of previous research in the lab that used genomic data and pedigree analysis to find evidence of domestication selection in an intensively managed conservation hatchery for Delta smelt. We are using over a decade of pedigree data to investigate whether domestication leads to early maturity of Delta smelt, and to assess the heritability of traits including early maturity and number of offspring recovered.