Daira Melendez

"While I was studying abroad in the Galapagos Islands during my sophomore year, I learned about water quality research and how it impacts environmental and public health. Since then, I've been involved in and passionate about research in microbiology, genetics, and molecular sciences. My current research focuses on antimicrobial resistance and analyzing whole genome sequencing (WGS) data from Escherichia coli (E. coli) samples isolated from scat of the Southern Resident Killer Whale population. The project is very dear to my heart as these endangered whales are currently facing threats that are impacting their health and viability, and understanding their microbial prevalence could provide beneficial insights and help identify long-term solutions.

During my time here at UW, I’ve been fortunate enough to have a wonderful faculty advisor who not only supports my academic and professional development, but is also invested in me as a person and cares about my emotional and mental health. I’m also grateful to have found a thesis project that I’m so passionate about! After graduation, I plan to either apply for a position with a local or state agency doing environmental health work, or continue my studies by seeking a PhD degree."