Droevendaalsesteeg 10
6708 PB Wageningen
The Netherlands
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About
My PhD will investigate the potential role of a host’s immune system in influencing the ejaculate microbiome and how this relationship impacts sperm quality and overall mating success in house sparrows.
Biography
I have always had a passion for science and asking questions about the natural world. I first completed my BSc at the University of Denver in Biological Sciences, minoring in German, chemistry, physics, and mathematics, and I found myself hooked on research. I decided to stay and pursue my MSc in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Denver, researching plant-insect interactions and transgenerational effects of diet in a generalist moth. Toward the end of my MSc, I asked myself what evolutionary fields I was most driven to explore further, and I realized I was fascinated by the evolution of reproductive traits and sexual selection.
After switching gears, I am now thrilled to be beginning my research project studying immunity and reproductive microbiomes in house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Birds are one of the main reasons I originally found myself interested in sexual selection, and so I am excited to research the more intricate mechanisms behind individual reproductive success in a common passerine.
Research groups
Projects & collaborations
Projects
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Wild Animal Reproductive Microbiomes (EvolSWARM)
Our view of microbes has recently undergone a paradigm shift (the so-called ‘microbiome revolution’). Previously seen as unwanted harbingers of disease, it is now widely recognised that microbes can be beneficial and that the millions of microbes living in and on the bodies of animals and plants (i.e., the microbiome) can have profound effects on host biology.