Maris Goodwin

Maris Goodwin (she/her) is an M.S. student and Rasmuson Fellow at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) in the Department of Fisheries. Her research focuses on using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to analyze fish community composition in glacial estuaries like Lynn Canal and Kachemak Bay.

• Education:
  • B.S. in Organismal Biology and Ecology from Middle Tennessee State University (2021)
  • A.S. in Biology from Columbia State Community College (2019)

Maris combines molecular tools with conventional sampling to study biodiversity patterns across seasons and regions, investigating how environmental factors such as salinity, temperature, and turbidity shape estuarine fish communities. Her work aims to demonstrate metabarcoding as an effective tool for ecosystem monitoring.

Scientific Awards:

• Rasmuson Fellow

Her career goals include roles in genetics education and environmental DNA science, with specialties in bioinformatics and R graphic design. Maris is part of the SALMONg project (Sovereign Autonomy for Long-term Monitoring of Non-human genes).