People

Dr. Cara Fiore

I completed my B.S. in Biology with a Chemistry minor at SUNY Cortland, where I first got involved in research on the behavior and ecology of earthworms and an invasive flatworm. As an undergrad, I participated in field classes at Shoals Marine Lab, The School for Field Studies program in Kenya, and a Marine Biology course with a field experience in Belize – I encourage all undergraduates to pursue similar opportunities! I then completed an M.S. in Marine Biology at Grice Marine Lab (CofC) where I first began working with sponges at the SCDNR. I then worked for two years, first as a chemistry technician at Wards’s Natural Sciences, then as a lab technician in a pulmonary research lab the University of Rochester before beginning my Ph.D. work at UNH on sponge-microbe symbiosis. My Ph.D. was followed by a postdoc position at WHOI working on free-living marine microbes and dissolved organic matter. While at UNH, I also completed a Cognate in College Teaching and here at ASU, I continue with teaching, research, and service. I work on diverse microbial ecology projects, enjoy mixing field and lab work, teaching, and mentoring early career scientists from undergraduates to postdoctoral researchers.