New faces: Melissa DeBiasse

New contributor Melissa DeBiasse

New contributor Melissa DeBiasse


This week we’re pleased to welcome a big group of new contributors to the blog. By way of introduction, I asked each of them to answer a few quick questions about him- or herself. —Jeremy
My name is Melissa DeBiasse and I am interested in the mechanisms that determine the distribution of genetic, phenotypic, and physiologic variation in marine invertebrates. My dissertation research in Mike Hellberg’s lab at Louisiana State University used multi-locus model-based methods to infer phylogeographic history and species boundaries in the Caribbean coral reef sponge Callyspongia. As a postdoc in Morgan Kelly’s lab at LSU, I am using experimental methods and transcriptomic data to understand the genomic basis of local adaptation in Tigriopus copepods. I am also interested in increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM fields. When I’m not doing science, I love to run, sew, and enjoy the great food, music, and culture Louisiana has to offer.

About Jeremy Yoder

Jeremy B. Yoder is an Associate Professor of Biology at California State University Northridge, studying the evolution and coevolution of interacting species, especially mutualists. He is a collaborator with the Joshua Tree Genome Project and the Queer in STEM study of LGBTQ experiences in scientific careers. He has written for the website of Scientific American, the LA Review of Books, the Chronicle of Higher Education, The Awl, and Slate.
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