People
Dr. Annette Frese Govindarajan (she/her)
Principal Investigator
Research Interests - biodiversity, ecology, and evolution of animals; deep sea exploration, eDNA (and 'omics broadly) technology, instrumentation, and applications, ocean observing, biology of gelatinous animals
Contact Information:
Phone: +1 508-289-3308
afrese@whoi.edu
Mailing Address:
266 Woods Hole Road, MS #33
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole, MA 02543
Education
- Ph.D.: Biological Oceanography. MIT-WHOI Joint Program
- M.S.: Biological Oceanography, University of Connecticut
- B.S.: Biology, Honors Program, University of Connecticut
Academic profiles
Other affiliations and leadership positions
- Adjunct Faculty, Dalhousie University
- Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON) Scientific Advisory Committee
- Marine Omics Technology and Instrumentation (MOTI) Scientific Steering Committee
- Ocean Twilight Zone program Steering Committee and Biodiversity Lead
Dr. Nina Yang
Postdoctoral Investigator
Research interests: biological oceanography, biogeochemical cycling, biodiversity, environmental ‘omics, climate change, and ocean policy
Kaiah Callahan
Research Assistant
Research Interests: ocean biodiversity, marine biogeochemistry, microbial ecology, genomics, climate change
Megan Ferguson
Research Assistant
Research Interests: biological oceanography, plankton ecology, biodiversity, climate change, and fieldwork.
Jonah Jaffe
MIT-WHOI Joint Program student
Research Interests: marine autonomy, ocean monitoring, multi-agent systems, aerial-aquatic robotics, environmental DNA, adaptive sampling, field robotics
Dr. Larissa Fruehe
Guest Investigator, OceanX
Research Interests: My goal is to elevate the use of eDNA in marine exploration and enhance our understanding of eDNA behaviour in the marine environment. Additionally, I seek to find answers to what lives and thrives in our planet's most remote ecosystems like the deep-sea and ways to protect it.
Dr. Santiago Herrera
Guest Investigator, Associate Professor of Biology, Lehigh University
Nina Ramos
Guest PhD Student/Govindarajan Lab Mentee (Florida International University)
Research Interests: Environmental DNA, deep sea biology, diel vertical migration, benthic-pelagic coupling
Milan Sengthep
Guest PhD Student/Govindarajan Lab Mentee (Lehigh University)
Research Interests: I aim to advance environmental DNA methods to more efficiently explore deep-sea ecosystems. I am interested in linking biodiversity patterns to ecological function and providing insights that inform management and policy for the protection and sustainability of our oceans
Guest Investigators
Dr. Santiago Herrera, Lehigh University
Lab Alumni
Angel Rodriguez, Graduate Guest PhD student (currently at Florida International University)
Dr. Luke McCartin, Graduate Guest Student
Dr. Helena McMonagle, Graduate Guest Student
Miranda Holland, Research Assistant II, 2023, currently the Operations Assistant at AVAST (WHOI)
John Selby, Research Assistant II, 2023, currently a PhD student at University of Rhode Island
Kimberly Henderson, Guest Student, 2023, currently an undergraduate student at Tuskegee University
Jessica Barrow, Guest Student, 2022, currently an undergraduate student at Tuskegee University
Evan Morrison, Research Assistant II, 2022
Dr. Elizabeth Andruszkiewicz Allan, Postdoctoral Investigator (2019-2020), Guest Investigator (2021 - present), now Chief Scientist at the eDNA Collaborative
Erin Frates, Research Assistant, 2020-2021, currently a PhD student at Boston University
Katie Pell, Guest Student, 2020, currently an undergraduate at Colorado College
Rene Francolini, Research Assistant 2018-2020, currently a graduate student at the University of Maine
Sarah Stover, Guest Student, 2019, and Research Assistant 2022-2023, currently a graduate student at University of Vermont