Principle Investigator

Priya Roy Chowdhury

I am an evolutionary ecologist interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying species’ responses to rapid human induced environmental changes. To that end, my lab in Keene State College uses a combination of genetic, molecular, biochemical and physiological approaches to determine how multiple environmental stressors can influence organismal adaptation. Some environmental factors that we currently study are temperature, heavy metal pollution, eutrophication (nutrient loading) and pH alterations. Mostly, we study these factors in our model organism Daphnia. These are small keystone herbivores found in lakes and ponds across the world. We are also beginning to expand our questions to include microbial communities of estuarine ecosystems in New Hampshire.

I earned my PhD at Oklahoma State University in 2014 in Puni Jeyasingh’s lab. I joined by 1st poctdoc in Boston University in Wally Fulweiler’s lab. In 2015, I joined Kristen DeAngelis lab in UMass-Amherst after winning the Darwin Postdoctoral Scholarship from the Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program. In 2017, I joined Keene State College as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology.

curriculum Vitae (2020)

Undergraduate Researchers

Anthony Schultz

May 2018 -

Anthony Schultz is a junior at Keene State College with a Biology major, who plans to graduate in 2021. Current research includes physiological and metabolic responses on Daphnia exposed to different arsenic and food conditions.

Emilyann Ashford

Jan 2019 -

Emilyann Ashford is a Biology major at Keene State College looking to include a second major of Chemistry. When she is not performing research in the lab, she can be found playing Division Three volleyball for the college or studying. Emilyann hopes to pursue either a PhD in a biological science or an MD in the future.

Autumn Berlied

April 2019 -

Autumn Berlied is a biology major with a minor in math minor. She is also hoping to do a double major in environmental studies. She would love to pursue a career in research and wants to get her PhD in Microbiology. She enjoys spending her free time reading (and rereading) the Throne of Glass series, going out for tea, and watching YouTube videos about everything from foreign culture to science. She spends her summers in Germany and love to explore one of the main hubs for science!

Zoha Awan

August 2020 -

Zoha Awan is a Biology major at Keene State College. She is a part of the Morris-August Honors Program, serving as a student representative, and works as a Resident Assistant. She is also involved in a variety of organizations and clubs on campus, including Women of Color, Common Ground Multicultural Club, the Diversity Scholar Program, and the Office of Multicultural Student Support and Success mentorship program. She is from Lincoln, New Hampshire. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, and cooking. After college, Zoha hopes to pursue her Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT).

Jaelynn Stetson

MArch 2021 -

Sean Cady

March 2021 -

Lab Alumni

Joseph Owens

August 2017 - May 2020

Joseph Owens graduated from Keene State College in August 2020 with a biology major and 2 minors in computer science and chemistry. He is interested in a wide array of scientific fields, with a particular focus on regenerative medicine. Currently, Joseph is studying the link between nutrition and arsenic poisoning in Daphnia pulex. Joseph plans to pursue a career in biological research. He lives in Wilton, New Hampshire and enjoys hiking, painting, reading, and traveling. He is currently a PhD student in Virginia Tech.

joshua Stevens

August 2018 - May 2020

Josh Stevens is a recent graduate from Keene State (Aug 2019). Josh enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, playing sports, and stand up paddle boarding. He is currently a PhD student at the Department of Biology Sciences at the University of South Carolina

Meghan Hoffmann

May 2018 - August 2019

Meghan graduated from Keene State College with a dual major in Biology and Secondary Education in Spring 2019. She is interested in climate change and animal behavior and worked on effects of temperature in Daphniain the lab. She plans to pursue working as a research assistant or to become a biology teacher in the future. Currently she is a Science Educator in Camp Thoreau in Concord, MA. She is originally from Billerica, MA and loves to ski, swim, hike and read.

Michaela Boyd

(Aug 2018 - July 2018)

Michaela graduated in Spring of 2019. She is interested in climate change and ecology and is working on understanding and quantifying anthropogenic disturbances on microbial communities and their feedbacks. She plans to pursue graduate school in the near future. Presently she is working as a Laboratory Technician in New England Peptides in Gardner, MA. She is originally from Hinsdale, NH and loves to hike and go on any other outdoor adventures.

Jillian D’ Abbraccio

Jan 2018 - May 2018

Jillian graduated from Keene State College with a major in Biology in May 2018. She is interested in medical biology and microbiology with focus on women's health and diseases, and has worked on the interactive effects of global warming and nutritional stress on freshwater grazers Daphnia.She plans to pursue a career in clinical research, with future plans to go back to school to get a masters degree in reproductive and clinical sciences. Currently she is working as a research assistant in Millipore Sigma in Jaffrey, NH. She is originally from Northfield, New Hampshire and loves to read, cook, and be around family and friends.

Autumn Lagace-Hazeltine

August 2019 - Dec 2019

Autumn started in the lab in August 2018 as a Biology Major. She looked at the effects of temperature on hemoglobin production in Daphnia. She is currently an English Major with an anticipated graduation date of 2020. She wants to be a teacher after her graduation.