Lauren is a marine plankton ecologist with an interest in evolution and niche partitioning. She fell into the planktonic realm in high school and has since worked with ocean drifters for over 10 years through her collaborations with organizations such as NOAA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography, as well as her current role as a Ph.D. student researcher at ASU BIOS.
Advised by Leocadio Blanco-Bercial, Lauren wishes to determine the roles rhizaria play in influencing the biogeochemistry at the BATS site through imaging and metabarcoding techniques. Additionally, she is a member of NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) validation team looking at plankton –– PVST_BATS_PLANKTON –– working to calibrate the satellite using phytoplankton data during her degree.
Research Interests:
Planktonic evolution and niche partitioning, science communication, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, remote sensing
Educational Background:
B.S. in Marine Biology - University of Rhode Island
M.S. in Marine Estuarine and Environmental Sciences - University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Ph.D. in Environmental Life Sciences - ASU BIOS (in progress)