Van Wishingrad

I’m a marine biologist and molecular ecologist studying biodiversity and community ecology of coral reef ecosystems. I use a variety of approaches in my work, ranging from population genomics of individual species to methods harnessing environmental DNA to look at entire communities of species. I’m particularly interested in coral reef biodiversity because while they make up less than 1% of the ocean, they are home to more than 25% of marine life. So, understanding biodiversity dynamics in coral reef ecosystems can be incredibly valuable for insights about how biodiversity is structured more generally.