Ellie Armstrong
My current work focuses on the use of genomics to understand species declines and the dynamic changes to genomic architecture that have occurred during the Anthropocene. I am currently a 5th year in the lab, co-advised by Liz and Dmitri Petrov. My work has involved many different technical elements, including genome assembly, population genetics, and comparative phylogenetics. I mainly work on endangered large carnivores, including African wild dogs, tigers, and lions. My projects have included range-wide assessments for both tigers and lions, in addition to profiles of individuals in captivity for tigers, most recently popularized by the Netflix drama ‘Tiger King’.
As we change the world around us at an unprecedented rate, for many species, millions of years of evolution is not enough to stem the tide. I hope that through using advanced genomic methods we will gain a better understanding into the long-term consequences of reducing genetic diversity.
I hold a B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley in Molecular Environmental Biology and a M.S. from the University of Hawaii, Hilo in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Sciences.