I study microbial genomes at the molecular level to understand how microbial communities influence the biogeochemistry of our planet

I am a research professional specialist working with Bess Ward in the Geosciences department of Princeton University. I received my PhD in 2021 from Northeastern where I published a dissertation titled Nutrient Influence on microbial structure and function within salt marsh sediments Over the last two years, I have been studying coastal phytoplankton ecology using metagenomics to reconstruct eukaryotic draft genomes, their viruses, and microbes living in the phycosphere. A mesocosm experiment, simulating a eukaryotic phytoplankton bloom has been the focus of my research for nearly the last two years. I applied 18S rRNA gene sequenceing from longitudinal samples taken over the course of the bloom and integrated these data with microscopy, nutrient, and pigments to provide a holistic characterization of the bloom. The goal of this study was to identify potential parasitic interactions that could be important to understanding bloom dynamics. We found many interesting patterns in these data including widespread intragenus opposing relative abundance patterns (thats a lot of fancy words to say that ASVs with the same taxonomic classification at the genus level had opposite relative abundance patterns over time). We also identified large collecions of co occurring diatoms, dinoflagellates, and potential parasitic fungi and Syndiniales. My next project will include the role of bacteria and viruses in this complex bloom.