Samantha Hook

I am a NERC DTP-CASE student at The University of Manchester, in association with Sea Life. My PhD will focus on quantifying the genetic health of sharks and rays (elasmobranchs), in both captive and wild environments. I am interested in applying Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to my PhD to delve further into elasmobranch populations. Prior to my PhD I completed a Master of Science by Research in the genetic structure of Ethiopian Wolves.  I have conducted research in numerous countries including Florida, Costa Rica and Madagascar.

Roughly one quarter of all shark and ray species are classified as endangered with extinction (in accordance with the IUCN Red List). My PhD will be split into both field and lab work in order to delve further into the current genetic health of sharks and rays. I am extremely excited about applying modern genetic tools to study the effects that environmental pressures have on the genetic diversity of elasmobranchs. My PhD will have numerous components including presentations, attending conferences and working alongside my CASE partner Sea Life in order to provide further information into their studbooks.

As well as my PhD I also am a qualified Scuba Diving Instructor with BSAC, and jump into the water at least once a month! I also am a regular volunteer for two international charities which work tackling the illegalities of the fishing industry and the current problems in shark fishing (primarily shark finning). To discover more please see https://www.linkedin.com/pub/samantha-hook/7a/4aa/851