Welcome to Kerry’s website!

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Washington State University’s School of Biological Sciences in Dr. Joanna Kelley’s lab. I am a computational biologist and population geneticist whose work focuses on adaptation to extreme environments. I study poeciliid fishes that live in hydrogen sulfide-rich springs and cave environments.

A sulfidic spring in el río Pichucalco, Mexico. Hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas, reacts with dissolved oxygen to form precipitates, resulting in the milky appearance of the spring. This also creates a low oxygen, or hypoxic, environment. Despite these challenges, the fish Poecilia mexicana and its close relatives are able to surive the harsh conditions.

Cueva del Azufre is a sulfidic cave near Tapijulapa, Mexico. Cavefish are exposed to low/no light and show a regressed eye phenotype compared to surface fish exposed to full light.