Jen Walsh
Research Associate
Expertise
Saltmarsh Ecology • Genomics • Bioinformatics • Evolution
As a postdoctoral researcher in the Fuller Evolutionary Biology Lab, I use genetic tools to study saltmarsh adaptations (namely salt tolerance) in songbirds. Tidal saltmarshes pose extreme adaptive challenges to avian populations, making them interesting systems from an evolutionary perspective. In addition, many of the bird populations restricted to tidal marshes are heavily fragmented and in rapid decline, making them of interest from a conservation perspective as well.
My goal as a researcher at the Cornell Lab is to use new genomic methods to identify local diversity and adaptive potential in these special saltmarsh populations and to aid in informing management efforts by defining units for conservation.
Education
Ph.D., University of New Hampshire
Beyond the Lab
When I am not working at the Lab, I love to garden and go on long hikes with my dogs.