CURRENT LAB MEMBERS
Maryane Gradito (PhD, commenced 2024)
Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
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In 2018, I began my bachelor’s degree in biology (with a focus on biodiversity, ecology, and evolution) at the University of Montreal, Canada. This was my first introduction to research: I led a project on the white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) at the Montreal Botanical Garden, examining how heliotropism in this species influences reproductive success. However, I was eager to find something with a bit more personality than plants...
In 2022, I joined Sandra Binning’s lab (co-supervised by Frederique Dubois) for my master’s degree at the University of Montreal. I worked for two summers at the Station de Biologie des Laurentides (SBL), where I investigated the impact of trematode and cestode infections on pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) behaviour. I also had the opportunity to collaborate with Dan Noble at the Australian National University, working on developing statistical tools for understanding behavioural changes following environmental stressors (e.g., infection).
In 2024, I had the privilege of escaping the Canadian winter and I moved to Australia to join Tim Clark’s lab for a PhD funded by a Deakin University Postgraduate Research (DUPR) scholarship and a Fonds de recherche du Québec – nature et technologies (FRQNT) doctoral scholarship. I will be investigating the combined effects of environmental stressors (e.g., salinity, temperature, hypoxia, and parasitism) on the resilience and performance of the ecologically and economically important fish Galaxias maculatus and its parasitic nematode, including scenarios where both host and parasite are isolated. This novel approach will allow us to quantify whether the host or parasite will progressively benefit from ongoing climate change. To date, most research on parasitism focuses solely on the host, with little known about the parasite itself. I am grateful for the incredible opportunity to join the Clark Lab and work with such an amazing team!