Grad Students
Isabella Feldman
MCB Masters Student since January 2023
Joined the lab in anuary 2023
Isabella is an Accelerated Masters Student in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Department at the University of Arizona. She studyies organic and inorganic phosphorus utilization by marine microbes along the Amazon River plume. She has explored a range of opportunities including conducting trash analysis along the Santa Cruz River, studying cellular chemotaxis regulators mTORC and Rap1 in relation to cancer cell migration, assessing the possibility for marine algae to be used as a treatment for bacterial infections for those allergic to penicillin, and writing policy papers along side the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) relating to water rights of tribal communities along the Colorado River such as the Navajo Nation.
Isabella also has an interest in utilizing different art mediums as a means of scientific communication and to enhance scientific findings. Outside of the lab, you can find Isabella hiking and rock climbing around Arizona, painting, or surfing back home in Florida.
Nathan Hadland
LPL Graduate Student since August 2020
Joined the lab in August 2020
Nathan is a PhD student in the Lunar and Planetary Labratory (LPL) at the University of Arizona where he studies the habitability of volcanic hydrothermal systems as an analog for Mars. Nathan completed his undergraduate degree in astrobiology at Florida Institute of Technology where he studied in situ food production for astronauts as well as planetary atmospheres. He has been on two missions to the Mars Desert Research Station and has a passion for field work. On the weekends, you will most likely find Nathan on a backpacking trip, mountain biking, or wakeboarding.
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Emily Waggoner
MCB Graduate Student since August 2020
Joined the lab in January 2019
Emily is a PhD student in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Department at the University of Arizona, studying marine microbial community nutrient acquisition under the P-hydrolase project funded by NSF (OCE 1737083). She has explored a range of positions, from cataloguing gray whales and bottlenose dolphins to working in an aquarium and studying intertidal sediments. Following her mother's teaching footsteps, Emily also has an interest in using digital arts as a platform for science communication. When not at sea or in the lab, Emily is found drawing, playing the piano, reading at a coffee shop or spending time with her family in Oregon.
Nicholas (Nick) Bock
DEES Graduate Student September 2016 to August 2021
Joined the lab in July 2016
Nick is a PhD student with the Columbia Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, studying feeding behavior in marine protists. Originally from Boise, Idaho, Nick previously taught high school biology, working for three years at schools in New York City and for two years in Ghana with the Peace Corps. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, reading, and occasionally playing the banjo.
Nick's Ph.D. project explores the role of small-sized protists in the Ocean.
He is contributing to NSF project US-NSF grant #1458070