Allison is a master’s student in the Biology Department at the University of Guam. After graduating from the University of California San Diego, she studied coral microbiology at MOTE Marine Laboratory in Florida. Her current research focuses on the higher-level systematics of sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea: Echinodermata) and is part of the Echinoderm Tree of Life project. By collecting members from each of the known sea cucumber (holothuroid) families, Allison uses molecular methods to try to resolve the family- and ordinal-level relationships within the class. Interestingly, holothuroids are likely the largest metazoans to reside at the bottom of the Mariana Trench and Allison is hoping to collect some on this cruise.
Cruises:
