Background and Research Interests
Before moving to Germany to start my PhD, I spent eight years working as a field biologist for the Long-Term Coral Reef Monitoring Program in Guam where I developed an interest in the structure and function of modern ecosystems. During this time, I also studied evolutionary biology at the University of Guam where I applied phylogenetic comparative methods to understand the evolutionary history of photosymbiosis in scleractinian corals. This led to an interest in historical inference and the modeling of biological processes.
My current project combines both of these interests by addressing how various forms of uncertainty impact our ability to model, understand, and predict the structure of biological communities, especially in response to environmental changes.
Vita
Present: PhD Student in Uncertainty Quantification in Ecological Modeling at the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg in cooperation with the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment at the University of Oldenburg and the Helmholtz Uncertainty Quantification consortium.
2019: Awarded Master of Science in Biology from University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam.
2013-2019: Research Assistant and Marine Biological Technician for the Guam Long-Term Coral Reef Monitoring Program.
2012: Awarded Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Selected Publications
Dissimilarity analysis based on diffusion maps [1]
Evolutionary patterns of photosymbiosis in scleractinian corals [2]
Coral bleaching impacts in Guam [3]