I am interested in disease ecology, coinfection dynamics, and the ecology of parasites in aquatic systems. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016 with a B.A. in Biology from the College of Creative Studies. My undergraduate research in the Kuris-Lafferty Lab focused on parasite diversity and abundance in the California two-spot octopus, Octopus bimaculoides, as well as isopod parasites of nearshore kelp forest zooplankton. I am excited to shift my focus from marine to freshwater systems for my PhD. I would like to better understand coinfection dynamics between the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and metazoan parasites such as trematodes, as well as the role coinfection plays in structuring amphibian communities in the Pacific Northwest.
 

Email: broughtf@oregonstate.edu