Biography
I started my academic journey with a BSc (Hons) in Marine Science with Arctic Studies (2020) at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). For my undergraduate dissertation and a consecutive internship I investigated the genotoxic effect of ocean acidification on Arctic copepods, which sparked my interest in molecular biology. After a first glimpse at KAUST during the Red Sea Summer School in 2019, I began my MSc in Bioscience under the supervision of Prof Manuel Aranda in 2021, and rolled over into the PhD program in 2023.
Research Interests
I work on the sea anemone Aiptasia, used as a model system for coral, to investigate the molecular pathways underlying thermal acclimation and conditioning. I am particularly interested in learning the application of bioinformatic tools for -omics analyses.
Selected Publications
Dix, M.F, Liu, P., Cui, G., Della Valle, F., Orlando, V., Aranda, M. (2023) "Chromatin Immunoprecipitation in the Cnidarian Model System Exaiptasia diaphana". Journal of Visalized Experiments 193
Halsband, C., Dix, M.F.,Sperre, K.H., and Reinardy, H.C. (2021) "Reduced pH increases mortality and genotoxicity in an Arctic coastal copepod, Acartia longiremis“. Aquatic Toxicology 239
Education
MSc Bioscience, KAUST, 2023
BSc (Hons) Marine Science with Arctic Studies, University of the Highlands and Islands, 2020
Awards
Scottish Association for Marine Science – SAMS Council Award for Academic Excellence, September 2020
KAUST Affiliations
Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE)
Research Interests Keywords
Apitasia
Epigenetics
Gene Expression
Bioinformatics
