I am a PhD student in the department of Integrative Biology, co-advised by Karl Cottenie and Michael Griesser (University of Konstanz). My project seeks to add a touch of ecological reality to microbiome research by investigating the interplay between gut microbiota and social behaviour in a wild bird.
My main study system is the Siberian jay, a group-living corvid that inhabits the boreal forests of North Eurasia. The population I work with is located in northern Sweden, about 80 km south of the Arctic circle. While these birds live in stable social groups, some group members get along better than others, and I intend to find out whether there are any links between microbiota and this getting-along-ness (or lack thereof).
Prior to my PhD, I did a Master’s in experimental evolution, using bacteria to investigate the fitness effects of synonymous mutations; I also volunteered with Alberta Parks on ecological monitoring projects in the Rocky Mountains. Looking at gut microbiota in the wild is a way of combining my passions for ecology and microbiology.
When I’m not following birds around in the forest, I can be still found wandering around nature by ski, rock shoe, hiking boot, or paddle.