Many aspects of biology interests me, but the ability of certain organisms to cope with physical environmental adversity is what has piqued my interest the most. In particular, I am interested in the biology of tardigrades, a microscopic invertebrate commonly found in mosses and lichens. My primary focus is to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms governing the stress response in tardigrades when subjected to extreme forms of stress, such as complete desiccation, freezing and high levels of radiation. Tardigrades cope with adverse conditions in their environment by entering an ametabolic state called cryptobiosis. With the use of RNA-sequencing I aim to identify exactly what genes are involved in the cryptobiosis phenomenon. In addition, I am interested in the phylogeny of tardigrades as well as discovering new species of tardigrades.
Curriculum Vitae