Katherine Maslenikov - Collection Manager

My interests center around building and curating the University of Washington’s Fish Collection and supporting the ichthyology community through access to the UW’s specimens, tissues, and data. I strive to provide greater access to specimen data through partnerships with bioinformatics initiatives (iDigBio, GBIF, VertNet, OBIS, etc.). I value community outreach and education, and partner with local STEM programs to reach the K-12 audience in addition to the university community. My research interests include the systematics, taxonomy, and biogeography of the ichthyofauna of the eastern North Pacific, with ongoing projects with the family Liparidae as well as projects documenting species distributions.

Marta Gomez-Buckley - PhD Candidate

It is very exciting to be part of the Ichthyology Team at SAFS and the Burke Museum. I am a proud UW alumna, and I am back at SAFS as a PhD Candidate. I did my master’s degree, under Professor Bruce Miller in 2000 on trophic dynamics of juvenile rockfish (S. diploproa and S. nigrocinctus) associated with drifting algal mats in the San Juan Archipelago. I also received a Secondary Science Teaching Certification from UW Tacoma in 2008. My interest has expanded to cryptobenthic coral reef fishes (CRF), especially gobies from the genus Eviota. Their diversity, small size and short life cycles give them a high potential to be key coral reef ecosystem indicators of environmental changes. For my doctoral research, I investigated environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques to determine species composition of CRF. Currently, I am working on species delimitation of the Eviota sigillata complex, which involves analyzing multiple lines of evidence, like comparing their morphology, live coloration, genetics, and even their diets and habitat use!  One of the things I enjoy the most is taking science underwater by research SCUBA diving. I have ‘blown bubbles for science’ in many different ecosystems, ranging from the Canary Islands, Spain, where I am originally from and where I did my undergraduate degree in Marine Sciences, to Puget Sound, Alaska, the Caribbean, Micronesia, Fiji, and of course, Tonga, where I collected most of the samples for my research. I am very excited about participating in outreach programs at SAFS, the Burke Museum, and even on the Pac-Isles Abroad Program, funded by NSF.

Jennifer Gardner – PhD Student

I worked in the UW Fish Collection from 2010-2014, after meeting Katherine at an incoming freshmen event and all but begging her to let me volunteer. My work in the collection led me to do my capstone research project on snailfish, trying to identify which species lay their eggs in king crabs. This work led to a publication which won Best Student Paper in Copeia for 2016.  I then took a three year hiatus from systematics and worked with Dave Beauchamp’s lab as part of the Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. I worked on multiple different projects in this lab focusing on food web ecology of lakes, reservoirs, and Puget Sound. When the time came to return to school I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return to systematics. I am very excited to be part of the Tornabene lab and to be returning to the UW Fish Collection. My research is going to be on systematics of snailfish of the genus Careproctus. Additionally, I hope to do some research looking at snailfish eyeballs and potential novel evolutions within them. My hobbies outside of research include hiking, backpacking, dog sitting, and rock climbing. 

Laurel Nave-Powers - PhD Student

My broad research interests center around the ecomorphology and evolution of fishes. I am a first year PhD student in the Fish Systematics and Biodiversity Lab at SAFS and am thrilled to be here! My masters research investigated niche conservatism and niche packing in cyprinids in Southeast Asia and Africa using geometric morphometrics. My PhD research will focus on the Pacific and Arctic sand lances, which are important forage fish. I hope to further the identification of larval Pacific and Arctic sand lances using molecular data to obtain morphological characteristics. Then, with those identification tools in place, I will investigate potential niche partitioning between the larval Pacific and Arctic sand lances in their area of overlap in the Bering Sea. While here for my PhD, I TA for the Biology of Fishes lab and assist in the ichthyoplankton transfer from NOAA and AFSC to the UW fish collection.

I am a PhD candidate freshly starting my journey at the University of Washington. My masters thesis focused on the physiological adaptations of corals developing under natural extreme conditions in New Caledonia. I am now carrying out a meta-analysis reviewing the ability of marine protected areas to enhance the resilience of social-ecological systems. My PhD research will aim at increasing the knowledge on the understudied mesophotic reefs. More precisely, I will characterize the main pressures exerted on mesophotic reefs as well as the vulnerability of mesophotic species to these pressures. One of the goals of this research will be to assess whether existing conservation tools are adapted to the specificities of mesophotic ecosystems, and how the mesophotic could be better represented within marine protected areas.

Sarah Yerrace – Masters Student 

I worked as an undergraduate in the fish collection from October 2015 to April 2019. I loved learning about anatomy of fishes and I am still to this day fascinated by teleost skeletons. My senior capstone used integrative taxonomic techniques (geometric morphometrics, meristic data, coloration observations, etc) to investigate the goby Risor ruber, a species complex. I received my B.Sc from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences in 2019 with high honors and a double minor in marine biology and oceanography. Between early 2019 and late 2022, I worked at a few different zoo and aquariums. Primarily, I was the assistant dive safety manager at the newly opened Mississippi Aquarium (Gulfport, MS) where I had a significant part in writing SOPS, the dive manual, scheduling, and dive training. I’m most proud of the dive internship program I developed, from the initial proposal to training Mississippi Aquarium’s first two dive interns. I returned to the University of Washington in the fall of 2022 to pursue my master’s degree. My thesis will involve DNA and stable isotopes from the gut contents of Lionfish from Curacao across different depths to investigate vertical migration patterns and occupied trophic levels. In addition to completing my master’s degree, my immediate goals are to advance my dive training, specifically by completing a 50M decompression procedures course and an instructor development course in 2023, and remain active in the local communities through volunteering, outreach, and education events. 

Sydney Schumaker - Undergraduate
I am double majoring in oceanography and marine biology and plan to graduate in 2026. I am interested in climate change research and its relevance to our changing oceans, particularly coral reefs. Prior to my work in the lab, I worked in a Molecular Ecology lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I worked on projects examining the relationship between temperature change and changes to DNA in grasshoppers as well as insecticide resistance in an invasive species.  In the lab, I work on a project that assesses the phylogenetics of goby fish, using DNA extractions, PCR, and gel electrophoresis.

Aly Liu (she/her) - Undergraduate

I will be graduating from UW as a marine biology major this spring of 2024. I love everything from whales, to seabirds, to zooplankton, and of course to fish! I was introduced to the Fish Collection by Sarah Yerrace, my lab TA for Luke's biology of fishes class, which I was the peer TA for this fall. I began assisting Sarah with her master's thesis by helping her identify the prey inside invasive lionfish stomachs morphologically and through DNA extraction. This winter, I will obtain oxygen stable isotope ratios of their sagittal otoliths that I removed using laser ablation mass spectrometry under a Mary Gates research scholarship. We hope to find ontogenic lionfish migration patterns between shallow and mesophotic reefs of this invasive predator to inform robust spearfishing management. Last summer, I also co-wrote a paper on a field study of great blue heron behavior, prey, strike rates, and abundance at False Bay on San Juan Island. After graduating, I hope to become involved with kids in outdoor education and/or continue to explore the world of conservation ecology research.

Kalena Kattil DeBrum - PhD Student

Iakwe aolep! Before ending up at the Fish Systematics and Biodiversity Lab at SAFS, I worked for 8 years for the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority in conserving and managing our reef ecosystems and resources. Now I am in my 2nd year as a Ph.D. student conducting a study around a 70-year-old collection from the Marshall Islands here at UW. I am using these specimens to study historical trophic shifts and food web changes using stable isotope analysis. Because these fish are from before, during, and after the nuclear testing period in the Marshall Islands, I will also be looking at the way radiation accumulates in fish tissue and across trophic levels. This multidisciplinary research confronts environmental, social, and nuclear justice issues and I am happy to be leading it with the support of my team here at UW and back home in the Marshall Islands. Outside of my Ph.D., I have co-instructed and co-led the PAC-Isles study abroad program twice and participate often in Oceania cultural events at the Burke Museum.

Leo MacLeod - Undergraduate Collection Staff (now in grad school and Howard University)

I’m an undergraduate Marine Biology and Oceanography major at UW working in the fish collection since January 2019. I work as a student assistant in the collection as well as doing some more specific research working with CT data. Currently I am working on a project describing the full osteology of Uranoscopus cadenati using a mixture of visualization techniques like CT scanning, clearing and staining, and drawing. I love finding ways to make complex topics accessible, especially through the use of art. Ultimately, I want to help remove the barriers to learning about science and inspire people to take an active role in caring about our environment. When I graduate, I plan to focus my research on morphology, especially around osteology.

(Pronouns: He/Him)

Divinity Paterson - Undergraduate Collection Staff

I’m currently a senior undergrad in Marine Biology, and have been living in the Seattle area my whole life.  I worked as a pastry chef downtown for many years, and made the switch to science, (which has always been a passion!) when Covid hit early 2020 and closed everything down.  Currently, I’m working in the Fish Collection on various tasks including organizing specimens and otoliths, helping to put together loans, cataloging and identifying new specimens we receive, to an occasional DNA extraction and CT scan work for the other members in the lab.  In addition to collection work, I also spent a few weeks in the summer of 2021 on the VISIONS trip working with the OOI Regional Cabled Array, as we explored the hydrothermal vent system off the Oregon coast and repaired cables with an ROV.  I have an interest in all things shark-related (especially white sharks and salmon sharks!), both from a biological standpoint, as well as their conservation and well-being.  After graduating, I plan on pursuing a higher degree in marine science, and would like to put my skills to use in helping further conservation efforts and research on sharks.

Sam Ghods - Masters Student

I am beyond excited to be returning to the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences as a master’s student in the Fish Systematics and Biodiversity Lab. I began working at the UW Fish Collection in February 2016 as an undergraduate and I received my bachelor’s degree from SAFS in June 2017. My research project is examining evolutionary development and homology in male ceratioid anglerfishes (order Lophiiformes). More specifically, I will be examining the origin and development of the specialized apparatus that males use to latch onto females in the bizarre reproductive mode known as sexual parasitism. I hope to continue studying the mysteries surrounding the lophiiform anglerfishes and wish to someday explore the bottom of the ocean in a submersible. While my primary interests lie in taxonomy and systematics, I am fascinated by almost all aspects of ichthyological research and am always trying to learn more and step outside of my comfort zone. I am well versed in conducting molecular research and have aided Dr. Tornabene as well as my fellow lab members in DNA extraction, PCR, and sequence analysis for their research. I also have experience from my time as a curatorial assistant in the Fish Collection and enjoy training new and interested parties on the basics of collections work and operation. Outside of school, my biggest hobbies are playing guitar, playing basketball, exploring Seattle, drinking piña coladas, and getting caught in the rain. 

Christopher Goatley - Postdoctoral Researcher

Elizabeth Miller - Postdoctoral Researcher (now at University of Oklahoma)

I am interested in explaining the uneven distribution of biodiversity among habitats, geography, and clades. As an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, I am investigating differences in macroevolution in shallow and deep sea fishes. The deep sea contains over 90% of the ocean’s volume but only ~20% of its fish diversity. Is this disparity due to diversification rate differences between shallow and deep habitats? Alternatively, is deep-sea diversity limited by constraints on colonization of the deep sea? I am answering these questions using a combination of database mining, CT-scanning of museum specimens, and phylogenetic comparative methods. My interests also include the causes of the latitudinal diversity gradient, sexual selection and diversification, and diversification in marine and non-marine habitats.

Megan Ewing - Undergraduate Collection Staff (now at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery)

I’m a Marine Biology major at UW and started working with Luke’s lab and the fish collection in early 2020. During my time at the collection I served as a peer TA for Fish311 (Biology of Fishes) and my main project has been on stable isotope trophic analysis of lionfish (Pterois sp.) from shallow versus mesophotic reefs. This project highlights my interest in the ecology of fishes, which brought me to the collection in the first place. My other interests include the endocrine and reproductive systems of fishes. Working in the collection with all these amazing people has been such a wonderful experience. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity to learn so much about fishes in a hands on way. After graduation my plan is to work somewhere where I can continue to learn about and interact with fishes every day!

Jenna Barrett - Collection Staff, Senior Capstone Researcher (Graduated 2019 - now at NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center)

I'm joined the lab as a junior at UW currently studying Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and Oceanography. I've dreamt about studying aquatic sciences since I was young, but now that I'm here I've yet to figure out what I actually want to focus on in such a vast field. So far, deep sea ecology has best sparked my interests. Working in the lab has turned out great in that aspect. So far I've been transcribing submersible fish surveys to look at changes in deep-reef fish communities with depth! Being able to see actual recorded submersible footage from St. Eustatius and Bonaire is incredible. Learning how these fishes are utilizing their environment is an awesome first-hand view of the intense biodiversity of our oceans.

Emily McFarland - Undergraduate Collection Staff, Senior Capstone Researcher (Graduated June 2020, now in grad school at SFSU)

I began volunteering in the lab in the spring of my freshman year at UW in 2017 and I couldn't be happier to be on board. As corny or cliche as it may sound, I've felt almost called by the ocean ever since I was a little girl. Our ocean and the creatures that inhabit it are so vastly different than anything we can find on the surface—it's an alien world right here on Earth. I'm not entirely sure where I want my career path to go; for now I just plan on going wherever my lab work takes me. I know I'll be happy as long as I'm working in this field. Currently, I'm mostly working on goby phylogenetic projects, helping with the DNA extraction and sequencing processes. I've also had the pleasure of taking digital photos of goby specimens using a stereomicroscope, helping catalog specimens for the collection, and reviewing submersible dive videos. 

Quillen Tran - Undergraduate Collection Intern (graduated Fall 2018, continued to pursue degree in museology)

I am a senior in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, currently doing my capstone on the decorating behavior of Oregonia gracilis. Scientifically, I am most interested in decapod crustaceans, but more importantly, I am passionate about museums and museum-adjacent organizations such as aquariums. To me, these organizations represent an incredible opportunity for sharing knowledge about the marine environment, and in the case of museums and research collections specifically, they represent the safeguarding of history and the immense potential for the creation of new knowledge. This passion is what led me to volunteer at the UW Fish Collection, and it has been an incredibly fulfilling and educational experience so far. I work primarily in the wet-preserved adult collection on a variety of tasks, currently including the massive relabeling project, cataloguing new specimens, and giving tours to the public. After graduation, I plan to apply to the UW Museology program and continue my journey towards learning more about museums’ roles in public outreach and education—and hopefully, also continue working at the Fish Collection for as long as I can.

Jalene Weatherholt - Undergraduate Collection Staff (graduated Winter 2019)

Jalene is a senior majoring in Environmental Science Resource Management and an intended Marine Biology double major. Her interest in Ichthyology sparked during a tour of the collection in the beginning of her freshman year and has grown through her time volunteering and working in the collection. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, the marine world has always fascinated her; this passion continues now at the University of Washington. Jalene's activities outside of the collection include playing for the UW Women's Water Polo Club team and acting as a student Ambassador for the College of the Environment.

Rachel Manning - Masters Student (now teaching science in WA state)

I dove headfirst into the wonders of the UW Fish Collection (UWFC) in September 2015 as a senior undergrad working with the adult collection while helping describe a new species of snailfish from the North Pacific, Careproctussp. cf. melanurus for my undergraduate thesis. After receiving my B.S. in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences from UW SAFS, I spent a gap year facilitating an archival project with the UWFC’s ichthyoplankton collection. During this time, I was also gaining invaluable field and research experience on NOAA Fisheries surveys in the Aleutians, Gulf of Alaska, and along the US West Coast, and in a UW SAFS workshop in Hakodate, Japan. I’ve now graduated to level “Master’s in progress” in the lab and spend half of my time working on the systematics and evolution of an awesome new genus of Caribbean deep-reef gobies comprising seven putative new species. Through this research, I’ve had the chance to witness the beauty of deep reefs and their inhabitants via several dives on the manned submersible Idabelin Roatan, Honduras. The other half of my time I spend over at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center thinking about the frigid waters of the North Pacific and training NOAA at-sea observers in identification of commercially important groundfishes that live there, while also curating the training collection. My hobbies outside of my graduate work (though is it really considered work if you love every second of it?) include hangin’ with my crazy german shepherd pup, being outdoors, and fishing, fishing, aaaaand more fishing! . . . No wonder I chose research involving “fishing” for deep-reef gobies via manned submersibles in Roatan, Honduras!