I am a phytoplankton physiologist researching carbon fixation and photosynthesis at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
My research aims to understand how diatoms are able to efficiently fix carbon in spite of growth limiting iron and light supply in the polar Southern Ocean, and how this may change with global change.
I am looking for new opportunities at home (Australia/New Zealand) starting mid-2022!
My research aims to understand how diatoms are able to efficiently fix carbon in spite of growth limiting iron and light supply in the polar Southern Ocean, and how this may change with global change.
I am looking for new opportunities at home (Australia/New Zealand) starting mid-2022!
About Me:
I am a first generation academic from New Zealand. I grew up on a farm on the Kaipara Harbour and attended a tiny (60 student) primary school, then was only one of 11 people in my graduating high school class.
I enjoyed science in high school, so I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science, double majoring in Biology and Geology, from the University of Auckland (NZ). After completing my degree, I moved to windy Wellington (NZ) to work for GNS Science as a Geological Technician in the Hydrocarbons Department.
Then I decided to find my fortune in Western Australia as an Exploration Geologist. In Australia, I developed a strong independence at work and learnt valuable project management skills due to my time in remote sites supervising contractors and ensuring deadlines were met safely, on time, and on budget. Working remotely for long periods of time away from friends, family and toilets was a great adventure, but not something that I wanted to continue long term.
I have a strong interest in working at the interface of geology and the environment, so I moved to Canberra to start my academic career at the Australian National University. My research interests were piqued by a project examining how iron limitation affects the growth of phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean. Phytoplankton are responsible for half of the oxygen we breathe, so understanding how environmental factors control their growth and distribution is crucial to understanding how phytoplankton will fare in the future.
I was awarded a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours, 1 year), then a PhD from the Australian National University in Canberra, and now I'm in the USA doing a postdoc at UNC Chapel Hill. I still work with Antarctic/Southern Ocean phytoplankton, but now I use a wider variety of molecular tools and techniques to understand the cellular machinery that allow these single-celled eukaryotes to cope with iron limitation.
I am a first generation academic from New Zealand. I grew up on a farm on the Kaipara Harbour and attended a tiny (60 student) primary school, then was only one of 11 people in my graduating high school class.
I enjoyed science in high school, so I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science, double majoring in Biology and Geology, from the University of Auckland (NZ). After completing my degree, I moved to windy Wellington (NZ) to work for GNS Science as a Geological Technician in the Hydrocarbons Department.
Then I decided to find my fortune in Western Australia as an Exploration Geologist. In Australia, I developed a strong independence at work and learnt valuable project management skills due to my time in remote sites supervising contractors and ensuring deadlines were met safely, on time, and on budget. Working remotely for long periods of time away from friends, family and toilets was a great adventure, but not something that I wanted to continue long term.
I have a strong interest in working at the interface of geology and the environment, so I moved to Canberra to start my academic career at the Australian National University. My research interests were piqued by a project examining how iron limitation affects the growth of phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean. Phytoplankton are responsible for half of the oxygen we breathe, so understanding how environmental factors control their growth and distribution is crucial to understanding how phytoplankton will fare in the future.
I was awarded a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours, 1 year), then a PhD from the Australian National University in Canberra, and now I'm in the USA doing a postdoc at UNC Chapel Hill. I still work with Antarctic/Southern Ocean phytoplankton, but now I use a wider variety of molecular tools and techniques to understand the cellular machinery that allow these single-celled eukaryotes to cope with iron limitation.