Welcome to my page!
I am a postdoctoral research fellow at Tulane University in New Orleans, Lousiana, studying the ecological impacts of the 2010 Deep Water Horizon Spill on saltmarsh grass which is funded through the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). My main role in this collaborative project is to understand and quantify to what extent plant microbiome – microbial communities living inise saltmarsh grass — have been affected by the oil spill. I work closely with Sunshine Van Bael, although the GoMRI project is a collaborative effort among scientists at Tulane, Lousiana State and Duke Universities.
Prior to my Tulane U appointment, I did research on how evolutionary relationship among fungal assemblages or communities influence their response to pervasive nutrient addition as well as biotic factor like herbivory. I worked closely with Elizabeth Borer, Eric Seabloom, Georgiana May and Linda Kinkel at the University of Minnesota.
I have completed my Ph.D. in Biological Sciences in 2014 from University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana (US) under Jason McLachlan’s advisement. During my Ph.D., I studied the genetic legacies of 10,000 years of environmental changes – historical climatic changes and human land-use — on forest tree species, populations and communities using different approaches such as ancient DNA, metagenomics as well as traditional population genetics.
I also enjoy sharing my passion for science through outreach, teaching and volunteering.
I try to post some relevant (or, other not-so-relevant) materials about science and the universe here.