Dr. Julia Canitz

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Marine and Environmental Science
Location: 
Phone:
E-mail: julia.canitz@hamptonu.edu
Expertise: Population genomics and evolutionary biology

As an evolutionary biologist, Dr. Canitz is interested in how and why species evolved. She has worked in various projects targeting the evolutionary history of mites, fish and mammals utilizing biogeographic, taxonomic, and adaptive approaches. She is currently studying the global population structure and evolutionary history of the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), which is part of a collaborative project fully funded by the National Science Foundation (award NSF OPP # 2146068; PIs Kienle, S. and Bonin-Lewallen, C.). Using state-of-the-art molecular methods, Dr. Canitz is analyzing genetic connectivity within and among leopard seal world-wide distributed populations and its significance for the species’ evolution. Through her participation in the GlobaLeps Research Group, which an international coalition of leopard seal researchers, Dr. Canitz is also excited to undertake field work investigating leopard seals’ ecology and behavior in the Chilean Patagonia.