Anne is a PhD student who currently researches nitrogen metabolism in diatoms, specifically mechanisms in uptake and storage. She hopes to characterize the passage and transformation of nitrate through the cell in marine model diatom P. tricornutum, and extrapolate to understand more about global nutrient cycling in one of its largest components, phytoplankton. This work involves CRISPR-Cas9 mediated methods in protein function investigation and various bacteria/diatom conjugation techniques.
Anne is also involved in the CalCOFI program, participating in the quarterly cruises and collecting environmental genomics data for multiple members of the Allen Lab. Prior to joining the lab, Anne received a B.S. from Carleton College in biology and biochemistry, from which she worked in diverse field environments such as a tall ship in the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, and Duke Marine Lab. She then worked at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute studying the genomic effects of hypoxia in the Weddell seal with Dr. Allyson Hindle, before joining the Allen Lab in 2018.
Research Interests:
- Global nutrient cycling via phytoplankton metabolism
- Biochemistry of storage and movement of limited nutrients in diatoms
- Effects of nutrient limitation in phytoplankton populations