ABOUT YOU

When did you first find out that you wanted to be scientist?
Last year of high school inspired by my amazing biology teacher Cheryl Augustine.

Tell us something about your background and main research interests
I was trained as a limnologist, that is, a freshwater ecologist. My main research interest is in phytoplankton ecology, trying to understand the causes behind algal blooms formation, how phytoplankton disperse, and how phytoplankton populations differentiate and become different species.

In plain words…what is the principal aim of your current investigation?
To understand the distribution and dispersal of the nuisance phytoplankton species Gonyostomum semen using single-cell genomic methods.

What do you like doing in your free time?
Horseback riding is the one thing I devote most of my free time to, and have done most of my life. To keep my mind and body healthy I go running a few times a week. Finally, when I have extra time I do water color painting. All these activities are necessary for me to keep my life in balance, in addition to spending time with friends and family.

Which is the best advice you have ever received in science?
Perhaps that in order to be creative, you must first create a situation and space where you aren’t under pressure and stressed.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

In non scientific words… What is your role in SINGEK project?
Support my PhD student in developing a novel new method that will allow us and future scientists to reveal some secrets of the organisms that form algal blooms.

How do you think your work in SINGEK will contribute to the research field of Single Cell Genomics of microbial eukaryotes?
It provide a method that will allow us to study the genetic diversity and ecology of unculturable microbial eukaryotes.

In plain words…how do you think SINGEK will contribute to better understand the living world?
By providing information about the evolution, ecology, and genetic diversity of microbial eukaryotes that could not be provided with earlier methods.

How do you recommend people to follow your research activity?
Check out my website (https://rengeforslab.org/) and web of science.