I am an ecology and evolutionary biologist and data scientist. My work encompasses metagenomics and whole-genome sequencing to explore the interaction foliar fungal symbionts, AKA endophytes, in tropical trees and alpine yellow monkeyflowers . I combine field biology and wet lab skills with data science to answer how leaf traits in tropical trees and alpine yellow monkeyflowers influence the endophyte communities able to colonize them. More info in my CV.
I leverage some machine learning algorithms to analyze genomic and ecological data for insightful patterns. My expertise includes:
- Clustering/dimensionality reduction: Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), & distance-based Redundacy Analysis (dbRDA) Utilizing dimensional reduction techniques to to enhance classification accuracy of fungal communities and understand patterns from biological and environmental data.
- Linear models: Applying general linear models and linear mixed models to ecological data.
- Bioinformatics: Utilizing HPC clusters and Unix like systems to analyse ITS amplicons from endophyte communities
This project investigates the role of endophytes in the modulation of leaf functional traits and tropical trees' response to herbivory and pathogen damage.
This project aims to explore and characterize the endophytes found on the leaf tissue of Mimulus guttatus, Mimulus laciniatus, Mimulus nasutus and others along an elevation and geographic gradient in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA.
I am excited about the intersection of ecology, genomics and data science. Let's connect and explore potential collaborations or discuss how my skills can contribute to your projects. Feel free to reach out!