principal investigator

Lisa M. Komoroske, Ph.D. 

Assistant Professor | Dept of Envtl Conservation @UMass Amherst

C.V.| Google Scholar Profile | ResearchGate Profile

Twitter: @LKomoroske | Github: LKomoro

Contact: lkomoroskeATumass.edu

Broadly, my research focuses on the conservation genomics and ecophysiology of aquatic organisms inhabiting both natural and anthropogenically altered ecosystems, with particular emphasis on understanding how organisms cope with and are shaped by their environments. Using a combination of field, laboratory and quantitative approaches, my work is centered on understanding the mechanisms that shape animal performance, distributions, population structure, and adaptation. My research blends basic and applied science- projects frequently address fundamental biological questions that have clear conservation applications.

I conducted my postdoctoral research at the NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, using genomic and complementary data to understand population structure and anthropogenic impacts on marine turtles in the Pacific Basin. I completed my dissertation in the Fangue Lab in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology at UC Davis and the Graduate Group in Ecology, using genomic and physiological tools to assess climate change effects on a sensitive endemic fish in the California Delta and collaborating with USGS scientists to incorporate results into San Francisco Estuary climate change projections. I am also an alum (MS degree) of the Lewison Lab at San Diego State University.

In addition to research, I have a strong interest in science communication and STEM education. As a California Sea Grant-Delta Science Fellow, and NSF fellow in the Coastal, Atmospheric, and Marine Environmental Observing Studies (CAMEOS) GK-12 program at Bodega Marine Lab, I had the privilege of working with K12 educators and California management agencies to integrate research into outreach and science communication modules (like this short general audience Delta Science newsletter). At NOAA, I mentored interns through the Cal Poly STAR program, which places K-12 teachers in laboratories to get hands on inquiry-based science experience to bring back to their classrooms.

Boating in Tomales Bay, CA. Wilson insists on safety first.