Members
DR. SARAH W. DAVIES
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
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Sarah hails from Canada and her path to Boston University took her through University of Victoria, University of Calgary, UT Austin and, UNC Chapel Hill. She is largely interested in understanding why some organisms are winners and others are losers, and what this means in the context of rapidly changing environments. Sarah lives for travel, hiking, nerding out, Halloween, brewery tastings, and now she enjoys experiencing all of these things (minus the beer) with her daughters Kingsley and Kennedy.
DR. CARSTEN GRUPSTRA
POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE RESEARCHER
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Carsten (Cas) received his PhD from Rice University after receiving his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He is joining the Davies Lab as a postdoctoral researcher; his research will focus on determining how selection, plasticity, and dispersal shape coral success under pressure from global climate change. For this, he will be using coral populations that are naturally exposed to variable temperature regimes in Palau. In his free time, Cas enjoys traveling, running and hiking with his dog, and sampling all kinds of foods and beverages.
DR. HANNAH AICHELMAN
POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE RESEARCHER
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Hannah completed a B.S. in Environmental Science at UNC Chapel Hill, M.S. in Biology at Old Dominion University in the Barshis Lab, and PhD in the Davies Lab at BU. Her PhD work focused on understanding coral symbiosis under climate change stress across spatial and temporal scales, and utilized both genomic and phenomic tools. In her postdoc, Hannah is co-advised by Sarah Davies and Sean Mullen, and in addition to continuing work on coral resilience and cryptic diversity, also uses whole-genome resequencing data to identify SNPs associated with the presence or absence of an adaptive color pattern trait involving mimicry between two butterfly species. When she’s not nerding out about science, Hannah enjoys traveling to find delicious food and new breweries.
DR. SHELBY GANTT
POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE RESEARCHER
Shelby earned a B.S. in Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an M.S. in Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, before completing a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her doctoral research focused on how wild and captive environments influence the physiology and function of coral hosts and their microbial symbionts. As an NSF-OCE Postdoctoral Fellow in the Davies lab, Shelby will study the impact of environmental factors on corals in both marginal and non-marginal habitats of Panama. Her research aims to understand how coral lineage and varying reproductive investments between sexes influence the sex ratios of a gonochoric coral species, Siderastrea siderea, in different environments. Outside of her scientific pursuits, Shelby enjoys all kinds of crafting, baking sweets, and exploring the natural world.
MARIA VALADEZ INGERSOLL
PhD STUDENT
Maria earned a B.A in both Biology and Spanish at Swarthmore College – where she worked with Liz Vallen to express anemone proteins in yeast cells – before attending BU to pursue her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Bio with Sarah Davies and Tom Gilmore. Her research focuses on the molecular stress responses of coral and anemones with particular interest in the regulation of immunity and metabolism. When she’s not obsessing over the health of her lab animals, Maria enjoys biking, snowboarding (west coast best coast), and a good glass of cheap wine.
Jeric “JK” Da-Anoy
PhD STUDENT
JK is a Filipino Ph.D. student fascinated by evolution of metazoan complexity. He received his Master’s degree at the University of the Philippines, exploring stress response and evolutionary neurobiology under Dr. Cecilia Conaco’s supervision. His favorite pastimes include exploring nearby cafes, cooking, and talking to his niblings
LILI VIZER
PhD STUDENT
Lili is originally from Hungary but has been living in Scotland for the past 6 years. She completed her BSc in Marine Biology at the University of Aberdeen and received an MSc in Evolutionary Genetics from the University of Edinburgh. She is particularly interested in the genetics, evolution, and ecology of marine species. She joined the Biology PhD program at BU to combine her interests and work with Sarah Davies and Pete Buston. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic underpinnings of the competitive growth, induced by social behavior, displayed in Clown Anemonefish. In her free time, Lili likes hiking, nature photography, eating good food and sleeping.
MU-HAN CHEN
PhD STUDENT
Mu-Han obtained her B.S. in Life Science and B.B.A. in International Business from National Taiwan University. Her passion for nature motivated her to pursue an M.S. in Marine Biology at the University of Bremen in Germany, where she specialized in the chemical ecology of phytoplankton holobionts. Currently, she is thrilled to embark on her next adventure exploring coral holobionts in the Davies Lab. Apart from science, she enjoys jogging, swimming, stargazing, and cuddling with her cat.
ALLY SWANK
PhD STUDENT
Ally earned their B.S. from Ball State University in Indiana and completed their M.S. at Auburn University in Alabama, focusing on the ecology and evolution of marine systems under environmental stress. During their Ph.D. in the Davies Lab, they are excited to explore adaptation of corals at the population- and individual-level. If they aren’t in the lab, you’ll find them climbing, playing soccer, frolicking in the waves on the nearest beach, or shopping for a wild pair of socks (you’d be impressed with their collection).
KIAN THOMPSON
AQUARIUM TECHNICIAN
Kian is a recent Boston University graduate with a BA in Marine Science and a minor in Japanese. He continues to pursue his interest in marine life through working in the Davies Lab, Buston Lab, and the BUMP Lab. He has always loved marine animals and visiting aquariums from a very young age, especially in Japan, and he had marine aquariums at home for a few years. He enjoys cooking, snorkeling in warm places, occasional fishing, and going on drives!
Aden Nagree
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER/TECHNICIAN
Aden, a sophomore marine science major, is from San Francisco and has been obsessed with all things marine since he can remember. His experiences open water swimming in California’s marine habitats and as marine lab steward at NatureBridge have made him eager to join the Davies lab. In particular he is excited to understand the far reaching effects that environmental stressors have on marine organisms. In his free time he enjoys running, exploring the city for good eats, and chilling with his cat.
Audrey Wong
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER
Audrey is currently a sophmore majoring in Marine Science. She is from northern California and has a twin sister who is also attending a university on the east coast. She has always loved animals, but fell in love with marine animals after a research project in fifth grade, regarding the Blue Ring Octopus and Flamboyant Cuttlefish. She hopes to learn more about the underlying mechanisms of marine organisms and how that impacts their response to environmental stressors. She is excited to be a part of the Davies Lab and hopes to gain more research experience. In her free time, she likes to cook, sew, and go on walks.
Emma Francoeur
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER
Emma is a junior majoring in Biology with a Specialization in Behavioral Biology and a minor in Earth and Environmental Science. She’s from Manchester, Massachusetts and her love for the ocean started at a very young age as she spent her childhood around the water. She fell in love with marine life, especially this past summer doing a program through the SEA Association where she sailed along the Hawaiian Islands and studied their coral reefs. She’s hoping to gain a better understanding of specific relationships between marine life and how their behaviors are influenced by these complex relationships. She’s incredibly excited to gain more experience by working for the Davies Lab. In her free time she loves playing the ukulele, piano, and drawing.
Kyle S. Toyama
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER
Kyle is currently a junior majoring in biology with a minor in marine science. He lived in northern California for over a decade before moving to Japan. As a child he frequently visited aquariums where he developed a fascination for life, especially marine organisms. He is very interested in how life began and is excited to learn about early symbiotic relationships through corals in the Davies Lab. In his free time, he likes to design architecture, hike, and sleep.
Yasmine Burris-Khan
HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCHER (GROW PROGRAM)
Yazzi (Yasmine) is a rising senior from Newton South High School. In the future she wants to major in Environmental Science or Biology. She is excited to be in the Davies lab because of her interest in how climate change is affecting plant and wildlife. In her free time she plays field hockey, runs track and field, takes care of her houseplants, and plays with her dog!
Campbell Pelton-Cairns
HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCHER (GROW PROGRAM)
Campbell is a rising senior in high school and is working in the Davies Lab for the BU GROW internship. She is enjoying the opportunity to participate in research, especially on a topic she is passionate about. She hopes to pursue wildlife conservation in the future, so getting to work in this lab is an exciting opportunity! She also enjoys dancing, drawing, skiing, and spending time with her dog.
David Ibbett
HONORARY MEMBER, MUSIC COMPOSER
Multiverse
WPI
David Ibbett, Ph.D. is a composer, educator and musical advocate for science. Based in Boston, he is a Professor at WPI and directs the Multiverse Concert Series, a project that combines music and science in live performance. His lifelong passion for science began with his father, Dr. Roger Ibbett, who is a research chemist in Nottingham, UK. David and Sarah have been collaborating on Reef Music events since 2018!