Lab Members
Dr. Natalie Cohen (she/her)
I am an Assistant Professor in Biological Oceanography at the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and Department of Marine Sciences. I received my PhD from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before joining SkIO, I was a Simons Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
I am fascinated by the diversity of microbial eukaryotes and the many ways in which they interact with their chemical environment. Outside of work, my hobbies include eating large amounts of food, laying on the beach, and touring historical buildings.
Lucy Quirk (she/her)
Lucy is a master’s student in the Marine Sciences program at UGA. She is interested in the ways microorganisms’ function with respect to their environment. During her undergraduate program, Lucy looked at the ways cryptophytes, a group of phytoplankton, adjust in which specialized pigment proteins in a phytoplankton group called cryptophytes change with light color. Her MSc. project investigates the physiological diversity of phytoplankton across the South Atlantic bight through transcriptomics. Coastal environments are highly dynamic; Lucy seeks to understand how these organisms contribute to and adjust to the geochemical gradients found in these environments. Outside of research, Lucy is interested in scientific communication and accessibility through open-source coding and teaching free workshops on data analysis software like R and Python. Outside of science, Lucy enjoys to garden, hangout with her dog Oliver, and eating anything sweet.
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Claire Zwiers Cook (she/her)
Claire is a Marine Science PhD student at UGA, based at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. Before joining the lab, Claire did her undergraduate at the University of Michigan studying harmful algae blooms in Lake Erie with Dr. Greg Dick. She was also a NOAA Hollings Intern and Scholar studying methane profiles off the West Coast of the United States with Dr. David Butterfield.
These experiences got Claire excited about the world of microbes and how these organisms shape large global ecosystems and processes. Her first PhD projects will focus on how mixotrophs– organisms that can either photosynthesize and consume other organisms for their energy– shape global ocean processes. She will seek to determine how various environmental conditions such as nutrients, light, and temperature can affect how mixotrophs contribute to carbon cycling and ecosystem functions.
Outside of loving microbes, Claire loves to be outside and enjoys hiking and camping. She is on a mission to try all the restaurants in Savannah before her PhD is up and can often be found relaxing at home with her cat.
Mallory Mintz (she/her)
Mallory is a Master’s student in UGA’s Marine Science program at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. She is studying harmful algal booms in coastal Georgia. With her research, she hopes to establish seasonality and identify physiochemical drivers of HAB formation in a model estuary locally, an early step toward organizing the first high-resolution monitoring project in the state. Her work will build on the efforts of the local chapter of NOAA’s Phytoplankton Monitoring Network, and she invites additional community collaborations and outreach opportunities.
Mallory earned her undergraduate degree in geology from Carleton College, studying lake sediments. After graduating, she scaled up to marine systems, studying and working at the Lamont-Doherty Core Repository at Columbia University, Friday Harbor Laboratories at the University of Washington, with the National Park Service at Olympic National Park, and aboard the R/V JOIDES Resolution. Beyond the bench top, Mallory is often found in the ceramics studio or planning her next backpacking trip.
Erin Murphy (she/her)
Erin is an undergraduate student at Queen’s University Belfast pursuing an Integrated Masters in Marine Biology. Currently, she is on a placement year with UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. She has carried out projects related to seaweed growth in Northern Ireland, specifically studying the effects of exposure to the growth of Ascophyllum nodosum as well as smaller projects on freshwater pollution and eating behaviour in mice. Outside of science, she loves to read and spend time with her pets.
YOU!
The lab is seeking undergraduate and graduate students! There are in-person laboratory, field and computational/remote opportunities available. Potential projects include evaluating the role of trace metals in shaping microbial communities, characterizing coastal phytoplankton physiology in response to micronutrient availability, and investigating shifts in protistan metabolism across geochemical gradients through ’omic techniques. Feel free to contact Natalie for more details at cohen@uga.edu
Alumni
John Googe (Undergraduate Research) - Fall 2023
Lavon Young (Savannah State REU) - Summer 2023
Neha Shah (SkIO Summer Intern) - Summer 2023
Elizabeth Szink (SkIO Summer Intern) - Summer 2022
Karrie Bulski (Research Technician) - 2020-2022
Charlotte Greene (SkIO Summer Intern) - Summer 2021