Kingston, Rhode Island, United States
Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, I have lived and studied across three continents, completing my International Baccalaureate in Singapore before pursuing my undergraduate education in the United States. I graduated from the University of Rhode Island with dual B.S. degrees in Marine Biology (2025) and Cell and Molecular Biology (2026), both Summa Cum Laude, along with a Business minor and a Marine Technical Certificate. While my undergraduate research focused on marine systems, including genomics research at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography under Dr. Robert Campbell, I have since shifted my focus toward molecular and cellular biology in human systems. This transition has led me to pursue a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I will begin in Fall 2026.
Pi: Dr. Robert Campbell Extraction, purification and sequencing of DNA from Arctic copepods and krill. Bioinformatic analysis and multiple sequence alignments using Geneious to identify homologs and deduce population dynamics in the different Arctic basins. Perform copepod and krill morphometric measurements using both microscope and digital ImageJ software. Analysis is done on Calanus glacialis, Calanus hyperboreus, Neocalanus, Metridia longa, Paraeuchaeta, Scaphocalanus and both Thysanoessa raschii and Thysanoessa inermis krill species. Morphometric, DNA and Carbon Nitrogen isotopic data analysed in conjunction using excel for samples collected across many years in the Synoptic Arctic Survey research cruises and Got Krill survey cruises. This data is used to build a comprehensive baseline dataset for measuring and understanding ongoing changes in the Arctic marine system.
PI: Dr. Jacqueline Webb UTA for the lab of the course Diversity and Evolution of Fishes. Set up ethanol fixed specimens from the URI collection from specified orders for analysis and observation, guided students through correct specimen identification and handling, scientific drawing and labelling.
PI : Dr. Coleen Sucking Performed litter surveys at several beaches in Narragansett to quantify and identify major types of macro-plastics and align this data with oceanographic tide and current data in order to map litter sources in the bay. Data analysis done through excel.