White Abalone Culture (WAC) Lab Team
Dr. Alyssa R. Frederick, PhD (she/they)
Director / PI
I received a B.S. in Marine Biology from American University, where I studied the ecophysiology of corals and the impact of nutrient pollution on mangroves on Guam. I was then a Fulbright New Zealand scholar, where I studied the photophysiology of temperate anemones when I wasn't volunteering in kiwi bird tracking and conservation efforts. I received I completed my M.S. (2018) and Ph.D. (2019) in the physiology group in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department of University of California, Irvine. In addition to studying freshwater and marine fish physiology, my dissertation research primarily focused on abalone physiology. I have been a National Geographic Young Explorer and a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences.
For the last 8 years, I have been exploring the impacts of climate change and disease on abalone physiology and reproduction. As the Director of the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program (based at UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab), I am currently using ecophysiology tools to determine how to make as many healthy white abalone babies as possible!
I have collaborated with government management agencies, fishery and aquaculture industry, non-profits, and community stakeholders to ensure that my research will help meet research priorities for the conservation of these species and future sustainability of these fisheries. Research and community empowerment are critical for ocean sustainability. I am passionate about science communication, evidence-based policy, and creating just and equitable opportunities across the sciences.
For the last 8 years, I have been exploring the impacts of climate change and disease on abalone physiology and reproduction. As the Director of the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program (based at UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab), I am currently using ecophysiology tools to determine how to make as many healthy white abalone babies as possible!
I have collaborated with government management agencies, fishery and aquaculture industry, non-profits, and community stakeholders to ensure that my research will help meet research priorities for the conservation of these species and future sustainability of these fisheries. Research and community empowerment are critical for ocean sustainability. I am passionate about science communication, evidence-based policy, and creating just and equitable opportunities across the sciences.
Dr. Lauren Ashlock, PhD (she/they)
Postdoctoral Scholar
Lauren is the Postdoctoral Scholar for the White Abalone Culture Lab, at the Bodega Marine Laboratory. Lauren received their B.S. in Marine Biology from UC Santa Cruz in 2012 and their PhD in Biology from the University of Vermont in 2022. During graduate school, Lauren focused on the adaptive capacity of marine invertebrates to climate change stressors. Prior to graduate school they worked as a technician for the White Abalone Culture Lab. Lauren is excited to be working with white abalone again, and to use their evolutionary biology expertise to conduct research that supports the successful production and outplanting of white abalone.
Learn more about Lauren's research on their website!
Learn more about Lauren's research on their website!
Nora Frank (she/her)
Husbandry and Data Manager
Nora Frank is the Husbandry and Data Manager for the White Abalone Culture Lab located at UC Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory. She has over 7 years of experience in aquarium husbandry and marine facility oversight specializing in ecosystems surrounding local waters of the California coast. As the Husbandry Manager at the primary aquaculture production and research facility for the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program, Frank is responsible for the animal care, water quality monitoring, seawater system maintenance, and program-wide data management for this endangered species and associated restoration efforts. As the former Aquarist Manager and Lead Aquarist at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center and the University of California, Santa Barbara Marine Research and Education Facility (REEF), she has served as a husbandry specialist, seawater system facility technician, live specimen collector, aquarium administrator, and education and public outreach science communicator. She holds a Master of Science (M.S.) from the University of Denver in Environmental Policy and Management and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) from the University of California, Santa Barbara in Aquatic Biology.
Leela Dixit (she/her)
Husbandry and Data Specialist
Leela Dixit is the Husbandry and Data Specialist for the White Abalone Culture Lab at UC Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML). With the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program, Leela is responsible for animal care and system maintenance for endangered White Abalone, assisting in research, data management and analysis, and participating in education and outreach efforts. Leela is a UC Davis veteran, graduating with a Bachelor of Science (B.S) in Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity and conducting research on campus and at BML. She has a wide range of expertise, including education and outreach, animal care and husbandry, extensive field work in various ecosystems, lab work in various biological settings, and experience in research and data science. Leela is passionate about open access and accessible science, diversity, equity and inclusion, and is highly interested in the use of modeling and manipulating data to answer scientific questions, with interest in pursuing graduate studies in data science.
Isaac Treviño (he/him)
White Abalone Health Specialist
Isaac Treviño is the White Abalone Health Specialist, working in both the UC Davis White Abalone Culture Lab and the CDFW Shellfish Health Lab. He communicates with white abalone partners along the west coast, making sure facilities are well equipped to house healthy white abalone. As part of this project, he receives fecal samples from partner facilities and uses qPCR to detect withering syndrome as well as performs necropsies and other examinations guaranteeing general animal health. He is curious about shellfish health related to feeding as well as changing ocean conditions. Having spent over 6 years working in aquaculture at Bodega Bay Oyster Company and The Cultured Abalone Farm, Isaac’s expertise in shellfish care allows for quality animal care, strong relationships with our partners, and insight into large scale abalone production. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Political Science. His passion to see the shellfish industry grow leads him to explore the development of educational programs as well as keeping up with NOAA’s initiative to increase aquaculture operations in California.
WAC Lab Alumni
This list starts with WAC Lab alumni supervised by Alyssa, starting in 2023!
Audrey Deutsch (she/her)
Previous WAC Lab Role: Lead White Abalone Health Specialist
Current Role: PhD Student, UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab, Godwin Lab
Audrey Deutsch was the Lead White Abalone Health Specialist for the CDFW Shellfish Health Laboratory, and the White Abalone Culture Lab at UC Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML) from 2021-2023. To complement her research interests in aquaculture and restoration, she oversaw the health of all captive endangered white abalone with partner institutions up and down the west coast. She performed health examinations, feces testing, qPCR, necropsy, and histology, especially related to the agent of withering syndrome, shell-boring organisms, and other abalone pathogens and symbionts. She also managed animal life support in the CDFW Shellfish Health Pathology Laboratory. Audrey is specialized both in the field, and at the lab bench with experience in spectrophotometry, cryopreservation, carbohydrate extractions, colorimetric chemical reactions, and traversing field sites along the Pacific coast. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with two degrees in (B.S) Ecology Evolutionary Biology and (B.A) History. Audrey is driven by finding ways to connect science with society, and seeing the direct impacts of her work in saving a species every day.