Samantha Leigh

Degrees

PhD, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCI, 2019 Expected
MS, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCI, 2017
BS, Marine and Environmental Science, Coastal Carolina University, 2013

Research

Nutritional physiology and ecology of sharks

Biography

Samantha Leigh is a PhD candidate in Dr. Donovan German's lab in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department at UCI. Her research focuses on how sharks consume and digest their diverse prey types. Specifically, she studies the bonnethead shark, a small member of the hammerhead family that eats a lot of seagrass. Understanding how this unique plant-eating shark fits into ocean food webs is important for conserving ocean ecosystems for future generations. Besides swimming with sharks, she is very active in science outreach and communication. You may have seen her on the PBS Kids show "SciGirls" as a science mentor!

Why is science communication important to you?

Science impacts all of us everyday, but it's not always easy to figure out how. Through science communication, I hope to make science fun and accessible to everyone so that we can all make informed decisions about our daily lives. 

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