Name: Korin Jones

Degree: Ph.D. in Biological Sciences in the College of Science

Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA

Research Summary: My PhD work was developed to better understand community assembly in the amphibian microbiome. I specifically investigated how alterations in the order that bacteria colonize amphibian embryos would end up changing the composition of their microbiome after they hatched and became free swimming tadpoles. I also looked at the impact of species, life stage, and environment on amphibian microbiome composition.

VT Education Experience: I loved the collaborative atmosphere of VT. I always felt that there was a strong support network among my peers and great mentorship from the professors. Too many grad students to list for social/emotional support so I’ll just say I am thankful for the Belden lab and my Ph.D. committee? Also, shoutout to the Interfaces of Global Change interdisciplinary program, Dr. Meryl Mims, and Dr. Austin Gray.

Research Inspiration and Rewards: I’m broadly interested in microbiomes due to all the amazing functions that various microbiomes are linked to. I feel that understanding how these communities form, and thus testing basic ecological theory, is both practical in terms of making use of these potential microbial functions while also being useful from a basic ecology perspective.

Current gig:  Currently pursuing honeybee microbiome research as a postdoctoral fellow  in the labs of Dr. Nancy Moran and Jeff Barrick at the University of Texas at Austin.