Alumna Natalie Lowell graduated from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs in 2015 and is now a PhD student in the School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. We had a chance to catch up with Natalie recently and hear about what she’s studying, her time at SMEA, and advice she has for current SMEA students.

You’re pursuing your PhD. What are you studying?

I’m studying population genetics of native shellfish species that people want to farm, and conducting a risk assessment to measure the genetic impacts of farming native shellfish. This means I spend a lot of time pipetting, analyzing millions of DNA sequences on my computer, and learning how to write surveys for shellfish farmers. I’m also heavily involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in SAFS and the College of the Environment.

What do you like best about being a PhD. student?

Making use of the many resources for students on campus, creativity in my research, and getting to learn from lots of really smart people.

How did SMEA help you prepare?

I learned how to be creative and conduct independent research at SMEA, and I draw on those skills all the time during my PhD.

If you had one piece of advice for current SMEA students, what would it be?

Get engaged with other departments and upper campus. SMEA is great, but there’s a lot of potential cross-pollination if you leave MAR.

Can you recommend a book or article that you have read recently? 

Effective Conservation Science: Data not Dogma written by Peter Kareiva, Michelle Marvier and Brian Silliman

If you are a SMEA alum who would like to share what you’re doing, you can do so through our Alumni Update, we’d love to hear from you! You can also update your information via the UW Alumni Services site http://www.washington.edu/alumni/services/update/