Team Bio

We are graduate students in Ecology and Population Biology at the University of California at Davis. We conceived and designed this project out of our of passion for conservation of marine resources. Start-up funding for this research was generously provided by two small grants from the American Fisheries Society and a seed grant from the UC Davis Genome Center. We need your help to complete the project!

Ann Holmes

I'm a Ph.D. candidate in Ecology at UC Davis conducting research in fish and wildlife conservation using genetic methods. I use eDNA to study ecosystems and ecological interactions, including the use of multi-taxa biodiversity assessments for conservation and management of estuarine and coastal species. I am also interested in methods for sharing and managing large genetic datasets. I have an MS in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology from San Francisco State University and a BA in Ecology and Evolution from Cornell University. I am originally from San Francisco and competed nationally and internationally in rowing. I will complete my PhD in December, 2022.

One of the best things about doing science is sharing it with others. I enjoy mentoring undergraduate researchers and have supervised paid undergraduate experiential learning at UC Davis since 2019. In 2021, I received a UC Davis Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research.

Helen Killeen

Helen Killeen is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Davis where she studies the ecology of coastal and ocean ecosystems. Helen studies marine ecosystems by collecting specimens and observing ocean conditions while at sea on the Pacific Ocean. Her graduate research is helping to show how baby fish (larvae) survive their dangerous journey to adulthood. Helen’s research is also giving us a better idea of how coastal ecosystems are likely to be affected by climate change and whether or not conservation methods, like marine parks, really work to protect ocean animals. After graduate school, Helen is planning to work with conservation organizations and the government to improve how we manage and protect the ocean and its resources. Helen is from Colorado, likes cooking, and was a high school chemistry and physics teacher before going back to school.

Keira Monuki

I am a PhD student at the University of California, Davis and the Bodega Marine Laboratory studying the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems. Specifically, I use different experimental approaches and molecular methods to discover how marine animals are responding to increased stress from global change. As an undergraduate, I conducted an independent project on the depth variation of environmental DNA (eDNA), and I am excited to continue to investigate how we can use eDNA to better inform conservation of our vital ecosystems.