Having grown up in San Diego, surfing and going to the beach in La Jolla, attending Scripps has been my dream for as long as I can remember. As an avid surfer, swimmer, and snorkeler, I always wanted to study and help cleanup the ocean in my own backyard. Scripps was not only the right choice for me due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, but also because of the scientists it attracts, the connections it fosters, and the balance it encourages. At Scripps, I have had the opportunity to be advised by Dr. Jack Gilbert, a leading microbiology researcher, and Dr. Jeff Hasty, a renowned bioengineer specializing in the construction and utilization of synthetic gene circuits. But because Scripps enables collaboration between labs, I have also been advised by countless other researchers, students, and professors. Starting my first year during the COVID-19 era and only recently beginning my own lab work, I have already had a firsthand glimpse at the unique and welcoming community Scripps is known to hold.

My graduate research focuses on using synthetic biology tools to understand trends in the impacts of pollutants on seafloor microbial communities. Specifically, my current project is aimed at understanding how the currently banned, but historically and ubiquitously used, pesticide DDT affects marine microorganisms. I began this work because a site potentially containing at least 27,000 barrels of pollution and DDT-related waste was recently discovered off the coast of Los Angeles. The end goal of my research is to find organisms or natural processes in the sediments surrounding the barrels at the site that are capable of degrading and removing the DDT already present at the bottom of the ocean.

Learn more about Natalie Grayson

I graduated from UC San Diego with a B.S. in Marine Biology in 2015. Through 2020 I spent time in both academic- and industry research, discovering the kind of research I enjoyed (ecology, evolution, marine microbiology).

Pursuing a PhD in Marine Biology at UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and is interested in disturbance ecology and succession: specifically how microbes assemble and adapt to anthropogenic change.

Learn more about Carolina Carpenter