McKenna Smith

I’m a marine scientist interested in the interplay between ecology and biochemistry in microbes. In the Girguis lab, I am working on a microbial fuel cell powered by the continuous fermentation of marine organic matter (funded by a DARPA BioLogical Undersea Energy program).

I have a diverse, interdisciplinary background in molecular biology (e. g., transcriptomics, plasmid engineering) as well as environmental and biochemistry (e. g., absorption spectroscopy). I completed my dual BS in Marine Biology as well as Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at UC Santa Cruz. I carried out research at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station studying the epifaunal associations of Ochrophya spp. macroalgae. I also did research at Station de Recherches Sous-marines et Océanographiques (STARESO) in Calvi, France, evaluating trends in niche partitioning by Scorpaenidae spp. in the Mediterranean Sea.

When I’m not in the lab, I love to SCUBA dive, knit, and race motorcycles on track.