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PhD Candidate @
amoeba.msstate.edu
To understand the complexity and history of life, we first need to observe it. This statement seems basic until we recognize the challenges in observing most of the diversity of life in natural contexts. Generally defined under evolutionary cell biology, my research focuses on capturing and visualizing life at the micro-level in order to describe hidden complexity. To do this we need creative approaches to field work, culturing, microscopy, and experiment.
I am convinced that modern biology still has treasure-troves of discovery. The microbial world is one of them. Here’s why: Most described organisms have a name and a picture, yet remain unexplored biologically. With millions of species out there, this isn’t surprising. The majority of species,~microbes~, are so small they go unnoticed in daily life. You would not see them on a walk like you would a bird or a flower. To observe them, you’d need a microscope. However, microbes often live in or on opaque materials. You cannot easily observe them in natural conditions. This inconvience becomes an advantage for young biologists if we take the 'look-where-no-one-else-is-looking' approach to scientific discovery. This approach requires creative thinking, but it is one way we can enhance our knowledge and facilitate more discoveries in biology. Especially if we branch out and investigate organisms that have yet to enter the experimental arena. Non-model organisms.
Context. Context is hugely important for understanding our observations of reality. We can certainly isolate a single microbe, and mono-culture it free of contamination. But if you study this microbe in culture, it would be outside every natural context they have previously encountered. All the contexts that shaped their evolution. We know from observing animals that different contexts elicit different behaviors. The same is true of microbes. Once you realize this, you begin to recognize that there is in fact a goldmine of biological discovery hiding in plain sight — limited from observation because we didn't look, or we didn't use the right tool.
I study microbial eukaryotes (protists) for these reasons. Firstly, they represent a vast and evolutionarily intriguing group of life. Secondly, they are ignored by most biologists. Yet, the more we investigate them, the more we uncover exceptions to the standard models of biology taught in classrooms. With protist research, there are still basic discoveries, from new species to supergroups, and unique biological phenomena such as new cell behaviors, symbioses, and unusual genetics. They offer immense potential for both discovery-based and experimental work. My research aims to explore the emergent behaviors and cell biology of non-model protists. Modern cells experience a lot, and therefore have evolved great capacity to express a variety of behaviors. However, what they 'choose' to express depends on context and what (or who) they are interfacing with in the enviromnent. It isn't novel to say that laboratory conditions can create biases. Yet it is important to note that the majority of protists have not been observed in the contexts and interfaces they may encounter in nature. It is my life goal to investigate such scenarios.
Viewing the micro-world is eye opening for many people — both young and old. A central mission in my life is to collect, visualize, and share my findings from the micro-level to ignite daily curiosity about the charismatic natural world surrounding us.
Current projects
Above the rest: amoebae can stand
Protists, or microbial eukaryotes, play vital roles in various habitats, including aquatic and terrestrial environments as well as animal microbiomes. Their diverse range of relationships includes parasitic and commensal interactions, as well as free-living roles in driving nutrient cycles and stabilizing the biosphere. The ancestors to animals, fungi, and plants, were protists. As the most understudied yet phylogenetically diverse group of eukaryotic life, protists offer a wealth of opportunities to uncover novel biological processes, redefine fundamental aspects of cell biology, and address intriguing evolutionary questions.
[Protists Are Not Just Big Bacteria]
[Protists Are Microbes Too]
[Bioactive Molecules From Protists]
[Microbes and Climate Change]
[Field Research Is Needed]
[Neglected Protist Pathogens]
[Free diagrams of microbial eukaryotes]
[Previous Research]
To understand the complexity and history of life, we first need to observe it. This statement seems basic until we recognize the challenges in observing most of the diversity of life in natural contexts. Generally defined under evolutionary cell biology, my research focuses on capturing and visualizing life at the micro-level in order to describe hidden complexity. To do this we need creative approaches to field work, culturing, microscopy, and experiment.
I am convinced that modern biology still has treasure-troves of discovery. The microbial world is one of them. Here’s why: Most described organisms have a name and a picture, yet remain unexplored biologically. With millions of species out there, this isn’t surprising. The majority of species,~microbes~, are so small they go unnoticed in daily life. You would not see them on a walk like you would a bird or a flower. To observe them, you’d need a microscope. However, microbes often live in or on opaque materials. You cannot easily observe them in natural conditions. This inconvience becomes an advantage for young biologists if we take the 'look-where-no-one-else-is-looking' approach to scientific discovery. This approach requires creative thinking, but it is one way we can enhance our knowledge and facilitate more discoveries in biology. Especially if we branch out and investigate organisms that have yet to enter the experimental arena. Non-model organisms.
Context. Context is hugely important for understanding our observations of reality. We can certainly isolate a single microbe, and mono-culture it free of contamination. But if you study this microbe in culture, it would be outside every natural context they have previously encountered. All the contexts that shaped their evolution. We know from observing animals that different contexts elicit different behaviors. The same is true of microbes. Once you realize this, you begin to recognize that there is in fact a goldmine of biological discovery hiding in plain sight — limited from observation because we didn't look, or we didn't use the right tool.
I study microbial eukaryotes (protists) for these reasons. Firstly, they represent a vast and evolutionarily intriguing group of life. Secondly, they are ignored by most biologists. Yet, the more we investigate them, the more we uncover exceptions to the standard models of biology taught in classrooms. With protist research, there are still basic discoveries, from new species to supergroups, and unique biological phenomena such as new cell behaviors, symbioses, and unusual genetics. They offer immense potential for both discovery-based and experimental work. My research aims to explore the emergent behaviors and cell biology of non-model protists. Modern cells experience a lot, and therefore have evolved great capacity to express a variety of behaviors. However, what they 'choose' to express depends on context and what (or who) they are interfacing with in the enviromnent. It isn't novel to say that laboratory conditions can create biases. Yet it is important to note that the majority of protists have not been observed in the contexts and interfaces they may encounter in nature. It is my life goal to investigate such scenarios.
Viewing the micro-world is eye opening for many people — both young and old. A central mission in my life is to collect, visualize, and share my findings from the micro-level to ignite daily curiosity about the charismatic natural world surrounding us.
Current projects
Above the rest: amoebae can stand
Protists, or microbial eukaryotes, play vital roles in various habitats, including aquatic and terrestrial environments as well as animal microbiomes. Their diverse range of relationships includes parasitic and commensal interactions, as well as free-living roles in driving nutrient cycles and stabilizing the biosphere. The ancestors to animals, fungi, and plants, were protists. As the most understudied yet phylogenetically diverse group of eukaryotic life, protists offer a wealth of opportunities to uncover novel biological processes, redefine fundamental aspects of cell biology, and address intriguing evolutionary questions.
[Protists Are Not Just Big Bacteria]
[Protists Are Microbes Too]
[Bioactive Molecules From Protists]
[Microbes and Climate Change]
[Field Research Is Needed]
[Neglected Protist Pathogens]
[Free diagrams of microbial eukaryotes]
[Previous Research]
To understand the complexity and history of life, we first need to observe it. This statement seems basic until we recognize the challenges in observing most of the diversity of life in natural contexts. Generally defined under evolutionary cell biology, my research focuses on capturing and visualizing life at the micro-level in order to describe hidden complexity. To do this we need creative approaches to field work, culturing, microscopy, and experiment.
I am convinced that modern biology still has treasure-troves of discovery. The microbial world is one of them. Here’s why: Most described organisms have a name and a picture, yet remain unexplored biologically. With millions of species out there, this isn’t surprising. The majority of species,~microbes~, are so small they go unnoticed in daily life. You would not see them on a walk like you would a bird or a flower. To observe them, you’d need a microscope. However, microbes often live in or on opaque materials. You cannot easily observe them in natural conditions. This inconvience becomes an advantage for young biologists if we take the 'look-where-no-one-else-is-looking' approach to scientific discovery. This approach requires creative thinking, but it is one way we can enhance our knowledge and facilitate more discoveries in biology. Especially if we branch out and investigate organisms that have yet to enter the experimental arena. Non-model organisms.
Context. Context is hugely important for understanding our observations of reality. We can certainly isolate a single microbe, and mono-culture it free of contamination. But if you study this microbe in culture, it would be outside every natural context they have previously encountered. All the contexts that shaped their evolution. We know from observing animals that different contexts elicit different behaviors. The same is true of microbes. Once you realize this, you begin to recognize that there is in fact a goldmine of biological discovery hiding in plain sight — limited from observation because we didn't look, or we didn't use the right tool.
I study microbial eukaryotes (protists) for these reasons. Firstly, they represent a vast and evolutionarily intriguing group of life. Secondly, they are ignored by most biologists. Yet, the more we investigate them, the more we uncover exceptions to the standard models of biology taught in classrooms. With protist research, there are still basic discoveries, from new species to supergroups, and unique biological phenomena such as new cell behaviors, symbioses, and unusual genetics. They offer immense potential for both discovery-based and experimental work. My research aims to explore the emergent behaviors and cell biology of non-model protists. Modern cells experience a lot, and therefore have evolved great capacity to express a variety of behaviors. However, what they 'choose' to express depends on context and what (or who) they are interfacing with in the enviromnent. It isn't novel to say that laboratory conditions can create biases. Yet it is important to note that the majority of protists have not been observed in the contexts and interfaces they may encounter in nature. It is my life goal to investigate such scenarios.
Viewing the micro-world is eye opening for many people — both young and old. A central mission in my life is to collect, visualize, and share my findings from the micro-level to ignite daily curiosity about the charismatic natural world surrounding us.
Current projects
Above the rest: amoebae can stand
Protists, or microbial eukaryotes, play vital roles in various habitats, including aquatic and terrestrial environments as well as animal microbiomes. Their diverse range of relationships includes parasitic and commensal interactions, as well as free-living roles in driving nutrient cycles and stabilizing the biosphere. The ancestors to animals, fungi, and plants, were protists. As the most understudied yet phylogenetically diverse group of eukaryotic life, protists offer a wealth of opportunities to uncover novel biological processes, redefine fundamental aspects of cell biology, and address intriguing evolutionary questions.
[Protists Are Not Just Big Bacteria]
[Protists Are Microbes Too]
[Bioactive Molecules From Protists]
[Microbes and Climate Change]
[Field Research Is Needed]
[Neglected Protist Pathogens]
[Free diagrams of microbial eukaryotes]
[Previous Research]
Protists, or microbial eukaryotes, play vital roles in various habitats, including aquatic and terrestrial environments as well as animal microbiomes. Their diverse range of relationships includes parasitic and commensal interactions, as well as free-living roles in driving nutrient cycles and stabilizing the biosphere. The ancestors to animals, fungi, and plants, were protists. As the most understudied yet phylogenetically diverse group of eukaryotic life, protists offer a wealth of opportunities to uncover novel biological processes, redefine fundamental aspects of cell biology, and address intriguing evolutionary questions.
[Protists Are Not Just Big Bacteria]
[Protists Are Microbes Too]
[Bioactive Molecules From Protists]
[Microbes and Climate Change]
[Field Research Is Needed]
[Neglected Protist Pathogens]
[Free diagrams of microbial eukaryotes]
[Free diagrams of microbial eukaryotes]