Susan Kennedy

Susan Kennedy is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Laboratory Manager at the University of Trier, Department of Biogeography within the Faculty of Spatial and Environmental Sciences. Her research focuses on island biology, arthropod community ecology, molecular gut content analysis, and spider biodiversity and systematics, utilizing DNA metabarcoding and other advanced molecular techniques.

• University: University of Trier
• School: Spatial and Environmental Sciences
• Department: Biogeography
• Email: kennedy@uni-trier.de

Education:

• Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from UC Berkeley (2018)
• B.A. in Biology from Earlham College (2008)

Research Interests:
Susan's work explores the intersection of molecular ecology and island biogeography, with a focus on spider biodiversity and arthropod community dynamics. She employs DNA metabarcoding to analyze predator-prey interactions and ecosystem structure, particularly in Pacific island systems affected by anthropogenic disturbance.

Recent Publications:
Her research contributes to understanding biodiversity patterns through high-throughput DNA sequencing, including studies on spider gut microbiomes, genome evolution, and environmental DNA sampling. She has developed protocols for cost-effective metabarcoding and has investigated the role of habitat fragmentation in microallopatric differentiation.

Scientific Awards:

• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (2012-2017)
• NSF Graduate Research Internship Program (2016-2017)
• Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award (UC Berkeley, 2018)
• Bob Lane and Sandy Purcell Graduate Summer Award (UC Berkeley, 2017)
• Harvey I. Magy Memorial Scholarship (UC Berkeley, 2016)
• California Scholarship Fund (2016)
• Robert L. Usinger Memorial Award (UC Berkeley, 2015)
• Phi Beta Kappa induction (2008)
• Departmental and College Honors at Earlham College (2008)
• Millard S. Markle Award for Field Biology (Earlham College, 2008)

Teaching Experience:
She has served as Graduate Student Instructor for Spider Biology and Field Entomology at UC Berkeley, and as an SAT Instructor and Undergraduate Teaching Assistant at PowerScore and Earlham College, respectively. Her project 'Pacific Scanner' involves international collaboration across Germany, Japan, and the USA.