EPSCoR Graduate Fellow

Email: ftrjc@uaf.edu  

Master's student, University of Alaska Fairbanks
        (2008-present)
B.S. in Biology, Cum Laude, Colorado State
        University (2008)
B.S. in Business Administration, Cum Laude,
        Colorado State University (2008)

Research Interests
Population genetics, phylogeography, migration, historical biogeography, hybridization

Experience
2004-2008   Research Assistant, Conservation Genetics and Molecular Ecology,
                  Colorado state university

2006-2007   Fish and Game Technician II, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Kodiak, AK

2008-2010 Graduate Research Fellowship, Alaska EPSCoR, University of Alaska Fairbanks 

Cooper, R. J., M.R. Douglas, and M.E. Douglas. "Kit Fox in Mesa Verde National Park? A Preliminary Non-invasive DNA Test.” Undergraduate Research Symposium, Fort Collins, CO, 2007.

I am interested in phylogeography, population genetics, and related issues in a wide variety of taxa for both management and theoretical applications. I was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, and acquired a deep interest in nature at a very young age. Growing up pursuing various outdoor pursuits has left a lasting curiosity about the natural world, and the desire to investigate it further. This, combined with interests in business and math, led me to complete a double bachelor's degree in Biology and Business, in addition to assisting with genetic research focusing on fish hybridization and mammal range expansion. This research, under Drs. Marlis and Michael Douglas, inspired my interest in genetics, and has been my chosen field of study ever since.   My field experience ranges from seal captures to plant surveys to salmon management, on Kodiak Island and the Bering Glacier, AK.   I do not have taxon-specific interests in particular, but rather follow interesting questions that can increase my experience, provide managers with useful results, and advance understanding of evolutionary theory. Currently I am working under Dr. Link Olson at the University of Alaska Museum on genetic techniques related to species-level taxonomy, historical phylogeography, and their relationships to distributional shifts and climate change.