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Contact
Email: scleigh19@gmail.com Lab/Office: 577 McCarthy Hall Mailing Address: California State University Fullerton Department of Biological Sciences 800 N. State College Blvd. Fullerton, CA 92831 Curriculum vitae: PDF Fieldwork Photographs: Gallery
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Welcome!
I am interested in how organisms acquire energy based on their specified feeding mechanisms and digestive strategies. My research uses a blend of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and modeling to answer biological questions about performance, mainly in marine animals. I also enjoy pairing my research with various outreach endeavors. News:
July 2019: Lots of planning this month! I'm gearing up for some exciting microplastics/filter feeding research as well as prepping for teaching BIO 101: Elements of Biology and BIO 210: Integrative Anatomy and Physiology at CSUF this Fall. June 2019: I had the honor of co-leading the Southern California Ecosystems Research Program (SCERP) in collaboration with the Cabrillo Aquarium. During this intensive course, six stellar students created and tested a research question regarding how microplastics in the ocean assimilate through trophic levels. An excellent way to kick off my postdoctoral work! May 2019: I have successfully defended my PhD dissertation! It is bitter sweet to be leaving UCI soon, but I am very excited to start an NSF-funded postdoc position with Dr. Misty Paig-Tran at CSUF! I'll be researching trophic uptake of microplastics into commercially important fish species as well manta ray filtration mechanisms! March 2019: Have you been keeping up with your daily dose of science with the Loh Down on Science? Click here to see scripts I've written for the show! February 2019: We had a blast talking about our shark research at the UCI Homecoming event! January 2019: I had a great time presenting my research at SICB 2019! Also, check out my new publication lead by Sarah Hoffmann in Biology Open on the pectoral fin movement of sharks! You'll find the PDF on my publications page. Finally, I'll be teaching Human Anatomy and Physiology at California State University Fullerton for the Spring 2019 Quarter. 2018 Highlights: Another productive year! I won a Sigma Xi GIAR. I presented my research at SICB and APS, winning an award for my abstract at APS and an award for "Best Talk" talk at SICB. I completed the Pedagogical Fellows Program. I published a chapter of my dissertation on seagrass-eating bonnethead sharks in Proceedings of the Royal Society B and it received a ton of press! I also co-authored a publication in Biology Open. I co-organized the first UCI Climate Solutions Summit. I became a writer for the NPR radio show the Loh Down on Science. I accompanied UCI Vice Provost Dr. Frances Leslie to Sacramento for Grad Research Advocacy Day where I met with legislators to advocate for UC graduate programs. I also debuted my first sci-art piece at Art in the Park. On to even more amazing things in 2019! 2017 Highlights: A great year! I advanced to PhD candidacy, I had one paper published in Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries and another one published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology B, I presented at four conferences and won "best talk" awards at two of them (SICB, AES, ESA, and SWOB), I was awarded four major fellowships (UCI OCEANS, UCI Newkirk, UCI Distinguished Public Impact Fellowship, UCI Microbiome Initiative Pilot Project Award), I completed my internship with NOAA through the UCI Climate Action Training Program, and I became more active in science communication (Brews and Brains, SciComm Monday, Gills Club). 2016 Highlights: I was honored to be awarded an NSF GRFP, as well as a YEG from National Geographic, a GIAR from the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, the Raney Grant Award from the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, and a GIAR from Sigma Xi. I was also fortunate enough to participate in the Friday Harbor Labs Fish Functional Morphology course and be accepted to the 2017 UCI Climate Action Training Program. 2015 Highlights: Watch me and three young scientists explore the California coast in the SciGirls episode "Terrific Pacific" on PBS! The full episode is now available online here.
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