Profile
Christine Shulse is a Ph.D. candidate in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of California, San Diego, where she is advised by Dr. Eric E. Allen. For her dissertation, she is investigating the distribution and ecological significance of the production of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) by marine bacteria. This information is of particular interest due to the benefits of omega-3 PUFAs on human health as well as their effects on the marine food web. In addition to her research interests, Christine is passionate about ensuring a quality science education for all. In 2009 she was selected as a National Science Foundation (NSF) GK-12 Socrates Fellow. Through this fellowship she developed and implemented inquiry-based science lessons in collaboration with a high school teacher in Chula Vista. During the summer of 2010, Christine designed and taught an intensive three-week course on Marine Microbiology at UCSD for high-achieving high school students through the Academic Connections program. Recently, she was named a Summer Graduate Teaching Fellow and will be teaching BILD1: The Cell, a required introductory course for Biology majors at UCSD. Christine was born in Berkeley, California, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to enrolling at UC San Diego, she earned a B.S. from Georgetown University, where she double majored in Biology and Spanish. After completing her doctorate, Christine plans to continue her research career through a postdoctoral position where she can use microbial genomics and metagenomics to further our understanding of the Earth’s biogeochemical cycles.
