CURRENT MEMBERS
Deborah Robertson, PhD
Associate Professor | debrobertson@clarku.edu
Research Interests:
My research program investigates the physiological ecology and the evolution of nitrogen metabolism in marine diatoms and other ecologically important groups of marine algae. In many marine environments, nitrogen availability is an important factor regulating primary productivity. By characterizing the enzymes and regulatory pathways involved in nitrogen metabolism, this work should contribute to our understanding of the coupling between nitrogen metabolism and productivity.
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Sohini Ghoshroy, PhD
Post-doctoral Researcher | sghoshroy@clarku.edu
Research Interests: My research concerns the evolution of the gene glutamine synthetase in basal lineages of red algae. I am also interested in the evolution of this gene in select green alga and cryptophytes. Oxygenic photosynthesis is distributed among four of the five supergroups in the eukaryote tree of life. Oxygenic photosynthesis evolved within the cyanobacterial lineage and was gained by eukaryotes via primary and secondary endosymbiotic events. A number of primary and secondary endosymbiotic associations resulted in an enormous amount of genetic diversity on which natural selection could act and numerous gene duplications, replacements and losses followed the endosymbiotic events as the symbiont genomes became integrated into the genetic architecture of the host cell. Thus, the metabolic pathways that we observe today can be chimeras involving proteins encoded by genes derived from either host or endosymbiotic genomes.
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Minoli Perera, PhD Candidate
mperera@clarku.edu
Research Interests: Minoli is a PhD candidate who is currently characterizing RNA binding proteins in diatoms.
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Dan Whitmore, ClarkU ’10
dwhitmore@clarku.edu
Research Interests: Dan is a 2010 undergraduate Biology major. He has been interested in Marine Biology for many years and loves to explore the beaches and intertidal areas of Cape Cod in the summer. Clark University allowed him to further explore marine ecosystems during a trip to Bermuda in October of 2009. When not working in the academic field, Dan works as a TA/proctor in the Clark photography lab as well as working at the Ecotarium in Worcester, MA as a program presenter for visiting groups. He is also part of the streaming radio station at Clark University (RocU) and plays tenor sax in the Clark concert band. In his spare time Dan enjoys photography, playing video games, and working on cars.
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Jessica Alexander, BA ClarkU ’11, currently MA candidate
jalexander@clarku.edu
Research Interests: Jessica is working on characterizing members of the PUF family of RNA binding proteins in diatoms. Her project has involved bioinformatics, phylogenetics, and protein chemistry.
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Katie Friedman, BA ClarkU ’12, currently MA candidate
kfriedman@clarku.edu
Research Interests: Katie is currently examining the physiological ecology of marsh plants and in particular, the response of Spartina alterniflora to increased nitrogen availability.
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Hillary Sullivan, ClarkU ’13
hisullivan@clarku.edu
Research Interests: Hillary joined the lab this summer after spending the spring in Turks and Caicos in the School for Field Study program. Hillary is working in collaboration with Katie on our marsh project and is planning of continuing her work this academic year as part of Clark’s accelerated BA/MA program.
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PAST MEMBERS
Post-doctoral Associate :
Aurélien Tartar - Assistant Professor, Nova University
Graduate Students:
Kathryn Brown : BA 2005; MA 2007
Michael Gershenovich : BA 2002; MA 2003
Grant Goodrich: BA 2009; MA 2011
Freya Hendrickson : BA 2002; MA 2003
Dylan Scott: BA 2011; MA 2012
Undergraduate Students:
Jessica Alexander 2011
Pryanka Kapur 2011
Dylan Scott 2011
Jacqui Mitchell 2010
Dan Whitmore 2010
Grant Goodrich 2009
Kevin Brown 2008
Jenna Nguyen 2008
Bryce Winant 2008
Katrina Twing 2007
Nilufer Rahmioglu 2006
Kriti Gaur 2004
Molly Letsch 2004
Miguel Stein 2004
Eva Zadykowicz 2004
Laura Brentner 2003
Joanna Dubois 2003
Jessica Weagle 2003
Victoria Byfield 2002
Charlene Sangenario 2002
Misha Wood 2002
Crystal Firth 2001