This $240,000 National Science Foundation project grant funds research and outreach activities through August 2026. The grant supports an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology to investigate parasitic threats to fish health in collaboration with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
The fellow will conduct a broad assessment of fish pathogens in over 250 lakes on and near the Lac du Flambeau Reservation to determine prevalence and severity. Research activities include surveying harvested and trapped fish for parasites via microscopy and DNA barcoding. The project also evaluates tapeworm infection levels in northern Wisconsin fish in relation to lake classification, intermediate host presence, and fish age and size. The fellow will establish lab and outdoor systems to culture tapeworm species through their lifecycles to develop a model understanding parasite-host interactions.
Outreach activities include hosting Native American interns and indigenous-focused workshops to broaden participation in biology. The fellow will continue affiliations with the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science and the Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics. This award is funded through the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), which supports basic biological research and strengthening the national scientific enterprise.
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