Kelly George is a Senior Faculty Research Assistant in Dr. Maria Kavanaugh’s Seascape Ecology Laboratory at Oregon State University, where they contribute to research on phytoplankton biodiversity and seascape dynamics in the Northern California Current. Kelly began working with Dr. Kavanaugh as an undergraduate volunteer in 2019, focusing on the use of an Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) to monitor phytoplankton community composition. During this time, they developed a strong interest in phytoplankton taxonomy and biodiversity.Kelly earned a B.S. in Ocean Science from Oregon State University in 2020 and subsequently transitioned into a Lab Manager role, expanding their technical expertise and involvement across a wide range of projects within the Seascape Ecology Lab. Their research now integrates remote sensing, bio-optics, and experimental approaches, with particular focus on phytoplankton taxonomy, harmful algal blooms, cooperative fisheries research, and pigment analysis. They also enjoy collaborating with external labs and organizations to assist in sample processing and analysis, and mentoring undergraduate students in the lab. The use of the IFCB remains central to Kelly’s work, supporting phytoplankton monitoring, experimentation, and harmful algal bloom surveillance along the Oregon Coast as well as on research vessels at sea.More recently, Kelly’s research has expanded deeper into phytoplankton pigment analysis utilizing High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) in addition to their established experience with chlorophyll fluorometry techniques. They are excited to be expanding upon their phytoplankton taxonomic expertise by deepening their understanding of pigments via HPLC analysis.
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