Erin Frates is a PhD candidate and NSF Graduate Research Fellow at Boston University. Her research strives to link microbial diversity, cellular activity, and geochemistry along the seafloor, with a profound interest in chemosynthetic environments.
During the expedition, Frates will characterize the microbial ecology at cold seeps and hydrothermal vents. Ultimately, she aims to clarify the relationship between microbial communities and biogeochemical cycling in these fascinating, novel ecosystems.
Frates earned her B.Sc. in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Rhode Island, where she studied benthic microbiology at the Graduate School of Oceanography. After graduating, Frates worked at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where she collected and processed environmental DNA supporting the Ocean Twilight Zone Project. Recently, she participated in the Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator Masterclass, which trains early career researchers to lead field expeditions. Frates is excited to return to sea and explore the depths of the Chilean Margin.
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