Affiliation: Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center

Dr. Duscher is a Research Scientist at Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center studying sustainable seafood production systems, with her main research focused on cultivated seafood production. Dr. Duscher received her bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and Environmental Studies from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, where she completed a thesis on diseased marine sponge microbiomes with Dr. Koty Sharp; and she completed her PhD in Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida in Merritt Island, FL. Her thesis focused on the impact of modeled microgravity on a beneficial symbiosis. Dr. Duscher has also studied the microbial ecology of stromatolites during her post-baccalaureate position in Dr. Foster’s Lab, and molecular characterization of stem cell regeneration in a hydrozoan model system while working as a postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Christine Schnitzler.