We are very pleased to welcome Sarah Hird, Assistant Professor, Crystal Morales, Assistant Professor-in-Residence at the Greater Hartford Campus, and Noah Reid, Assistant Research Professor, to our department!
Sarah Hird’s main research questions are about the evolution of host-associated microbiomes and microbial phylogeography. She’s also interested in how we can use/create computational tools to answer those questions. Specifically, she focuses on what factors shape and maintain the gut microbiomes of wild birds.
Crystal Morales’s broad research focus is on cellular and molecular immunology. She is interested in Drosophila innate immunity, and defining the chaperones of Toll and integrins. Another area of emphasis is the development of novel adjuvants with greater specificity and efficacy. These adjuvants will further be tested in conjunction with cancer immunotherapy techniques for their impact on the immune response in various cancers.
Noah Reid’s interest is in evolutionary genomics; genetics of adaptation; speciation; systematics and phylogeography.