My Background
About Me
My name is Malia Santos and I am a PhD Candidate in the Tank Lab at the University of Wyoming in the Program in Ecology and Evolution (PiE2).
I graduated from Willamette University with a BA in Biology under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Smith where I studied the effects of climate change on Joshua Trees using empirical and simulation based methods. After that, I continued to be a field technician every summer and spring to help coordinate citizen science experiments and research on Dr. Smith’s work in yucca-yucca moth interactions, hybridization between sister species, and the effects of climate change on Joshua trees. I recieved honors for my senior thesis research for studying the genetic differentiation between two subspecies of Great Bustards (Otis tarda). This was done by collaboration with the Eurasian Bustard Alliance and Dr. Mimi Kessler.
I spent a year as a Research Technician in Dr. Regina Baucom‘s lab at the University of Michigan; assisting in multiple projects while maintaining the laboratory and the greenhouse for the students and the PI. Some of my projects included investigating the differences in rhizosphere microbial communities in different color varieties of common morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea), studying the genes responsible for leaf shape in the wild sweet potato (Ipomoea trifida), and researching herbicide resistance in I. purpurea.
I started my PhD journey at the University of Idaho where I spent four years under the direction of Jack Sullivan and Dave Tank. Dave got a job in August 2021 as the director of the Rocky Mountain Herbarium and I joined him in Laramie, WY!
I was born and raised in Hawaiʻi and stem from native Hawaiian heritage. During my free time, I enjoy tending to my house plants, hiking, swimming, rock climbing, and yoga.
CV
Find my CV here.