People

Jobs and Academic Program

For information on employment and/or if you are considering applying to our undergraduate or graduate program, please see the following links:

Members

Claire Horner-Devine
mchd@u.washington.edu

I am an Assistant Professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. I received my Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and my B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University. My background is in community ecology and conservation biology with a focus on microbial communities. I am also interested in women in science issues and am the Principal Investigator of WEBS.

The goals of my research are to understand the primary factors affecting species’ distribution and maintenance of biological diversity and to understand how anthropogenic activities influence natural communities and ecosystem processes. I have studied multiple taxonomic groups (i.e., insects, microbes and plants) in both aquatic and terrestrial study systems. My current focus is on understanding spatial and temporal distributions of microbial communities and their influence on ecosystem processes.

Graduate Students

Jessica Silver
silverj@u.washington.edu

I am a Master's student in the Horner-Devine Lab at the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. I am interested in microbially mediated biogeochemical cycling and relating processes at a microbial level to functional significance at an ecosystem level. My research interests are also inspired by global changes in climate, and seek to examine the potential impact of these large-scale anthropogenic changes on microbial community structure and function. Currently, I am looking at differences in the microbial nitrogen cycling community in sediments associated with a competing native and invasive eelgrass species in Padilla Bay, Washington. I use molecular methods to profile the microbial nitrogen cycling community, coupled with rate measurements of denitrification and nitrogen fixation.

I received my B.A. in Biology from Wellesley College in 2003. I have past experience as a lab technician in biomedical research, as well as microbial ecology. I also have extensive field experience in oceanography and conservation biology. Current other interests include rock climbing, riding my moped, and learning trapeze.

Staff

Michael Reisen Dyen (technician)
mrdyen@u.washington.edu

I am originally from the Boston, Massachussetts area. I received a B.S. and B.A. in 2004 from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where I was mainly investigating T4-phage as a biocontrol of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ruminants. I also spent a year in Argentina in two different laboratories studying the effect of temperature on the lipid membrane of Bacillus subtilis and exogenous DNA introduction into lactic acid bacteria. I have recently completed a Master's of Science in microbiology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada where I investigated the bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil from the Arctic. Currently in the Horner-Devine lab, I am assisting with various projects examining the structure and function of microbial communities in aquatic systems. I enjoy laboratory work, but when not there I like to travel, scuba dive, hike, tango, and share food and drink with genial people.

Ali Paulson (technician)
apaulson99@gmail.com

I worked in the Horner-Devine lab as an undergraduate, studying ecosystem processes and microbial communities associated with Zostera japonica and Zostera marina in Padilla Bay, Washington. I also spent a year with the Herwig lab as an undergraduate researcher, developing methods to prevent the introduction of invasive species through ballast water transport. After graduating from the UW in June of 2007, with a degree in Biochemistry and Conservation Biology, I spent the summer at Mount Rainier National Park as a Biology Technician with the plant restoration program. I have returned to the Horner-Devine lab to continue work on the Padilla Bay project, and I am most interested in linking environmental processes with biochemical processes. Outside of the lab, you can find me hiking, biking, snowboarding, and listening to music.

Undergraduates

Bashira Chowdhury
bashira@u.washington.edu

I am a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, currently studying at the University of Washington in the microbiology department to better understand microbial ecology and its processes. My main interests are the biochemical and genetic interactions that occur between prokaryotes and eukaryotes at the microbial level, particularly laboratory techniques that can be used to elucidate the mechanisms behind such interactions. This autumn, my laboratory focus, is to complete a full analysis of the sedimentary composition of the Padilla Bay sites for our lab and to begin production of a standard set for future QPCR work on molecular samples collected from Padilla Bay.

Helen Bekris
helenb4@u.washington.edu

Helen Bekris is a junior at the University of Washington majoring in biology. She was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and enjoys camping, working out and loves what Western Washington has to offer. She is looking forward to gaining experience in the ecological field. She previously worked in a UW biology lab which studied insect endocrinology and the hormonal control of metamorphosis in the tobacco hornworm.

Betul Coban
bettymy@u.washington.edu

I am a third-year biology major at University of Washington. Before joining Horner-Devine lab, I worked in Wasser Conservation Lab in a study that was looking into effects of oil sand extraction on the wolf, caribou and moose populations in Alberta, Canada. In my spare time, I enjoy gardening, outdoors and working out.