STRI FELLOW
I am a PhD candidate in Dr. Xingchen (Tony) Wang Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Lab at Boston College. My research aims to understand nitrogen cycling within corals and coral reefs as well as how anthropogenic influences and climate change affect nitrogen cycling in these systems by using stable isotopes. During my fellowship at the O’Dea lab, I will utilize the isotopic composition (δ15N) of organic nitrogen bound within coral skeleton that has recently been utilized to detect symbiosis in ancient corals. The basis of this proxy is that symbiotic corals are expected to exhibit lower δ15N compared to their non-symbiotic (aposymbiotic) counterparts due to internal nitrogen recycling, and this δ15N signal is preserved in coral skeleton. Yet, robust field studies are still needed to groundtruth its application in natural settings. I aim to exploit Panama’s unique collection of modern and fossil corals to rigorously test the δ15N symbiosis proxy. The findings are expected to shed light on the future of coral symbiosis in the face of intensifying climate change.
O'Dea Lab 
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