Chelsea Fowler, Scientist

“Some human genetic complexes are just destined to work with fish”

-Carl Safina

Currently I’m pursuing my doctorate and working as a graduate research assistant in the Plough Lab at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

I graduated from The University of Tampa in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in marine science and biology. After I graduated, I joined the United States Peace Corps as a Coastal Resource Management Specialist in the Philippines. In the Philippines I engaged with local communities to better understand coastal resource use, carry out baseline assessments, and support local restoration efforts. These experiences motivated me to find a research program that had strong ties to management and improved the accessibility of science.

I joined the University of Maryland as a master’s student in 2020. My master’s work focused on investigating the efficacy of novel environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring techniques to generate accurate fish run counts for spawning river herring populations. Genomic tools like eDNA monitoring have the potential to give us a deeper understanding of important fish populations. Learn more about that research, here.

Currently, I’ starting my PhD at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. My research under this degree will be focused on techniques to increase the resiliency of aquaculture species to climate change. Stay tuned for more on that work in the future.