Shannon Dickey
Ecology and Evolution PhD Student
Shannon is a PhD student in the eDNA lab going on her second year. Shannon spent much of her first year with her hands in many of the eDNA projects we manage — helping to process eDNA samples, sequencing various specimens, and generating genomic libraries. We want to share a little bit about Shannon, an integral member of our lab, as she is diving head-first into her own research projects this year.
What made you choose the Rutgers eDNA lab for graduate school?
My passion for conserving biodiversity and communicating its significance through public science and education led me to choose the Rutgers eDNA lab. With the growing impacts of climate change on biodiversity loss, I am actively exploring strategies to address this challenge.
What research topics are you most interested in?
My research interests center around characterizing the biodiversity of vulnerable ecosystems and measuring the effectiveness of nature-based solutions in enhancing biodiversity. By advancing eDNA methodologies, I focus on contributing to ecosystem management and evidence-based conservation.
What research projects are you currently working on?
Over the summer, I collected aquatic samples utilizing three eDNA techniques at the Rutgers University Marine Field Station in the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR). The project aims to characterize the fish diversity of marsh pools, estimate the temporal scale of an eDNA signal in relation to tides, and compare the species coverage of eDNA metabarcoding to plankton net sampling. The next steps are processing the samples in the eDNA lab and identifying the sequences taxonomically using bioinformatics.
What’s your favorite thing about being a member of Rutgers eDNA lab?
Answering ecological questions with an extraordinary group of individuals!
What do you like to do in your free time?
Outside the lab, my favorite activities include spending time with friends, family, and my dog.