Biography

Julianna earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Arizona, where she conducted research as a NASA Space Grant intern with the National Phenology Network, using a 10-year dataset to examine how shifts in temperature and precipitation affect the flowering phenology of a keystone species, the saguaro cactus. After graduation she interned at the National Museum of Natural History in the Laboratory of Analytical Biology, where she used genetic techniques to describe how coral-associated invertebrate biodiversity varies across the Coral Triangle under the guidance of Dr. Chris Meyer. In 2018, she began her M.S. at Duke University in the Silliman Lab, focusing her thesis on how a coral-associated crab, simulated wounding, and macroalgae interact to drive coral disease on the Great Barrier Reef. Julianna joined The Pile in 2020 as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.

Research Area

Julianna is currently interested in how coral-associated biodiversity mediates coral resistance to climate stress.