Samantha C. Waterworth
USING BIOINFORMATICS TO EXPLORE MICROBIAL ECOLOGY
PostdocTORAL RESEARCHER (UW-Madison)
PostdocTORAL RESEARCHER (UW-Madison)
About meHi! My name is Sam (she/her)
I define myself as a microbial ecologist and I'm interested in understanding how certain bacteria interact with their hosts, and with each other. To achieve this, I use a combination of metagenomics (looking at the genomes of all bacteria in a sample) and metatranscriptomics (what genes from those genomes are being expressed). I started my research journey in Prof. Rosemary Dorrington's lab investigating the bacteria associated with latrunculid sponges and their potential role in the production of pyrroloiminoquinones. During my PhD I mastered traditional microbiological techniques (PCR, cloning, culturing etc). I took my first tentative steps into the world of big data analysis when I visited the lab of Dr. Jason Kwan over two summers (2016, 2017) where I learned to take my budding bioinformatic skills to entirely new levels. In 2018 I joined Dr. Jason Kwan's group as a postdoctoral researcher. I am now skilled in programming in Python and Bash, and know my way around generating complex visualizations in R. I've used these new skills to explore several different environmental systems including other marine sponges, beetles, and stromatolites. Please head over to my Publications page to check out what I've discovered so far! Working with environmental samples has also given me the opportunity to advance my field work skills. Head over to the Gallery to see me out in the field and absolutely in my element! When I'm not inoculating petri-dishes or going to battle with Python scripts, you can find me on the jiu-jitsu mat, going for a jog, or playing disc golf with my better half. |