Cara Tobin
PhD Student
About me
Since my undergraduate days I’ve been interested in molecular tools for species conservation, and as I’ve previously worked as a laboratory technician in Wildlife and Environmental sciences at the University of Salford I feel very at home in the lab! During my Masters I developed an eDNA based method for identifying the presence of elusive semi-aquatic species with in-situ capabilities, which was a great precursor to starting my PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University in collaboration with WWT. Whilst I have a definite soft spot for fish and amphibians, there’s nothing about wildlife that doesn’t interest me!
My project
Malagasy freshwater ichthyofauna are characterised by incredible diversity and high levels of endemism, and are increasingly threatened in the face of anthropogenic disturbance. The aim of my research is to develop a molecular assay and associated ‘lab-on-a-chip’ device capable of determining the presence or absence of threatened Malagasy freshwater fishes from environmental DNA, enabling rapid in-situ detection and identification of extant species distributions.
Experience and interests
- Molecular biology techniques for conservation
- eDNA sampling and analysis
- Freshwater vertebrate biology and ecology
- Laboratory method development