Graduate Student Email: miranda.mckibben@uga.edu Lab: Bensasson Lab | Miller Plant Sciences Research Research Areas: Fungal Biology Genomics & Bioinformatics Molecular Genetics Research Interests: While yeast that are associated with humans have been studied in depth, yeast species that live in natural settings are understudied. It is important to study how yeast are adapting under selective pressures in an environmental setting and whether gene flow may occur between environmental and human associated yeast, which could affect human health. My research involves two types of environmental yeast: A non-human associated wild yeast, Saccharomyces paradoxus, and pathogenic environmental yeast in the Candida family. Grants: 2023-2024, NIH T32 Genetics Training Grant, UGA, for sampling Athens for pathogenic yeast and testing for antifungal resistance 2021-2022, Ecology and Evolution Fellowship, University of Chicago, Senior thesis research on allelic variation in ash trees associated with resistance to the emerald ash borer. Education Education: Admission to the University of Georgia Graduate School through the Integrated Plant Sciences Doctoral Program, Fall 2022. B.S. Biology, with Specialization in Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, 2022. B.S. Thesis Research: Allelic variation in ash trees associated with resistance to the emerald ash borer. Other Information Of note: University of Chicago Dean's List (2021-2022) Other Affiliations: Miranda McKibben | GitHub
