eDNA Community
Information
Micrograntee recipient Eliza Stein, Master of Science candidate at Louisiana State University, conducting field work in Florida.
Follow our blog to see what’s happening in the eDNA world today!
We encourage anyone interested in sharing their work to submit a blog post. We post submissions as we get them. Feel free to write whatever you’d like people to know about you and your research. Be sure to include a title as well as your name and affiliated institution. Keep the post to a few paragraphs and include some pictures and/or graphs with short captions. You are welcome to also include contact information, webpage addresses, X handles, or any other info you’d like readers to know. Please note that we do not endorse any particular product, company, or manufacturer.
About Us
We aim to broaden the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for environmental management and conservation, aiming to accelerate the move of these techniques out of the lab and into routine practice.
We are particularly interested in reaching people and places beyond historically well-funded settings to smooth the path to widespread use by making technology and knowledge more accessible.
The eDNA Collaborative is funded by the David & Lucile Packard Foundation and Oceankind.
Sam Engster, Megan Shaffer, Maya Garber-Yonts, Eily Allan, and Ryan Kelly at the 2022 2nd National Workshop on Marine eDNA in Costa Mesa, CA
Eily Allan, Hiroki Yamanaka, Ryan Kelly and others at the 2023 eDNA Society Meeting in Shiga, Japan
Mission and Values
What We Do
Our mission is to disseminate and reinforce science that brings environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis out of the lab and into routine practice. We do this using three strategies:
The analysis of eDNA is in its infancy, as hundreds of researchers around the world begin to develop a huge diversity of techniques and applications. Out of this ferment, we believe great ideas will quickly emerge and be widely adopted through bottom-up, grassroots exchanges among users. The faster and more routine those exchanges are, the more efficiently knowledge can spread.
Further, we believe that the best available techniques will be most useful when they are transparent, repeatable, and freely available. Practitioners will then be more likely to gravitate toward a common set of tools. Where future regulatory and management applications demand standardization, the relevant standards will arise out of this common set of tools and practices.
What You Can Do
Nenik Kholilah, from Diponegoro Marine Biodiversity Laboratory, Universitas Diponegoro (Indonesia) taking a one liter seawater sample at the 5-10 meter depth using sampling pouch in Karimunjawa National Park, Central Java, Indonesia. Photo credit: M. Danie Al Malik from Fisheries and Marine Science Faculty, Universitas Diponegoro (Indonesia)
As we work to bring eDNA science into mainstream use, we need your help to connect people and spread great ideas. Please:
- Follow us on X (@eDNAcollab) to keep in touch
- Subscribe to our ListServ for information about talks, lectures, seminars and discussion groups
- Join the global eDNA Slack channel to connect with other researchers worldwide
- Contribute to our Blog
- Alert us to notable publications, software, applications, meetings, and conferences
- Connect us with people who would benefit from our help
Our Team
Ryan Kelly, PhD, JD
Director
Trained as both an ecologist and a lawyer, Ryan has a broad set of interests, focused both on hard scientific data and policymakers’ use of those data. His work often joins genetic and ecological research with real-world implementation in law and policy, particularly with respect to environmental monitoring, resource management, endangered species, and ocean acidification.
In general, he is drawn to projects that have significant elements of both scientific and policy relevance as we work towards more sustainable use of marine resources. Dr. Kelly received his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology from Columbia University, and his JD from University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.
Eily Andruszkiewicz Allan‬, PhD
Chief Scientist
Eily is interested in all things eDNA – from nuts and bolts type questions to very applied ecological questions. In the past, she has explored whether different types of animals (e.g., fish vs. jellyfish) shed different amounts of eDNA, how long eDNA persists in water and how that varies with things like temperature and sunlight, and how far eDNA can be transported in rivers and oceans.
Most of Eily’s research focuses on providing bounds of spatial and temporal inferences from genetic data in order to move the field towards wider acceptance and uptake. She is also interested in emerging technologies like using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for sampling water and using field based methods for rapid, on-site eDNA detection. Eily received her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University.
Kate Bertko, AB
Project Manager
Kate works with both The eDNA Collaborative and on the MMARINeDNA (Marine Mammal Remote detection via Innovative environmental DNA sampling) grant which is investigating the transportation, persistence and distribution of marine mammal DNA at different spatial and temporal scales along the US West Coast.
Prior to joining the team, Kate competed and coached rowing at the collegiate and Olympic level. She holds a A.B. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University.
Shana Lee Hirsch, PhD
Networks and Standards
Shana is a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at UW. She has an interdisciplinary background in sustainability, social science and ecological restoration.
Her work draws on methods and theories from human centered design and innovation studies to support accessible and usable conservation technologies. Her work with the eDNA Collaborative aims to ensure that diverse people from around the world have access to eDNA technologies.
Aden Ip, PhD
Research Scientist
Aden Ip is an environmental scientist from Singapore, specializing in environmental genomics to monitor biodiversity and ecological health. He earned his PhD from the National University of Singapore. Before his current role, Aden worked on utilizing eDNA to support tracking animal diseases and trade regulations in Singapore. His research focuses on practical eDNA applications for conservation and management, developing portable detection and sequencing methods for rapid biodiversity assessments. Aden’s work aims to make eDNA analysis more accessible, efficient, and reliable for a wide range of stakeholders. Outside the lab, Aden enjoys connecting with the natural world through scuba diving, hiking, and photography. He is always eager to engage with fellow researchers and practitioners in the field of environmental science.
Contact Us Today!
We are always interested in new people and ideas. Please feel free to reach out with questions, comments, suggestions, additions, or anything else!