Melissa Marr

Daphne Jackson Trust Research Fellow

I hold the position of Daphne Jackson Trust post-doctoral research fellow in applied conservation genomics. My background is in biosystematics and evolutionary biology, with a focus on taxonomic ranks at the species level and below. I am particularly interested in the application of both modern and ancient DNA, and geometric morphometrics, to the real-world conservation of endangered species.  My prior research includes the use of museum collections to examine taxonomic boundaries and population processes using both genetic and morphometric approaches. My doctoral thesis investigated post Ice-Age responses to abrupt climate change in a range of late and post-glacial British mammals.

My current research focuses on whole genome sequencing of Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), an iconic British mammal that has disappeared from much of its former range in England and Wales due to competition with an introduced species, the North American grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Scotland provides a stronghold for remnant populations of red squirrels in Britain and this study aims to provide crucial genetic information for their future conservation and management in this region. I am also exploring the use of handheld nanopore sequencing technologies for rapid disease diagnostics in wild mammals.