About me
I am currently an FSBI funded PhD student at the University of Glasgow studying evolution and plasticity in geothermal Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). This study system presents a unique opportunity to study a "natural experiment" potentially providing an insight into how freshwater fish can adapt and change to cope with a future under climate change. My work includes building on previous research by examining the relationship between divergent morphology and performance in a reciprocal transplant experiment. I am also studying the effects of thermal habitat and ecotype on brain, liver and muscle gene expression in the field in a reciprocal transplant experiment, and in the lab investigating the heritability and mechanism behind differential expression.
My main research interests are evolution and phenotypic plasticity and the ways in which these phenomenon can interact. I have worked on various study organisms and systems, but the running theme of my career has been my getting hooked on a fascinating study system and becoming driven to understand the fundamental details of what is going on.
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In my spare time I make traditional art with pen, pencil and acrylic paints, as well as the occasional clay or papier-mâché sculpture. My arts and crafts skills have often come in handy in my research and when working as a graduate teaching assistant. I love getting outdoors and going hiking, cycling, camping and am an avid bird watcher.
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I am also very passionate about contributing to an inclusive social community at work and have held the positions of PGR representative and have been an active social organiser at my institute for some time.
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