Associate Professor, Aquatic & Fishery Sciences
knaish@u.washington.edu 206-221-6375

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conservation genetics, evolutionary genetics, genomics

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Bio

I have managed to move between a number of countries during my career. I am from Zimbabwe, and was educated in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Specifically, I received my BSc from the University of Cape Town and my BSc (Hons) and MSc from the Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science at Rhodes University.

It was while I was working on my MSc (stock identification of a marine species) that I became interested in evolutionary genetics. That interest took me to the University of Wales, Swansea where I worked on kin selection. After my PhD, I worked with the Fish Genetics Group, sponsored by the Overseas Development Administration, U.K, which supported aquaculture projects in the Philippines and India. I then moved to the University of Guelph in Canada, where I worked on invasive genetics. At the Conservation Biology group at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries (Seattle), I was able to fully develop my interests in integrating molecular genomics and quantitative genetics.

I then joined the faculty at the School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences at the UW and am now one of four faculty members in MERLAB—the Molecular Ecology Research Lab—a School facility that focuses on genetic research in aquatic animals. During my time, I have conducted research on genetic-related issues in a range of aquatic organisms, including Cape horse mackerel, British minnows, tilapia, Indian carp, invasive mussels and Leatherback turtles, and have been in some cool (and warm) places as a result. I have been very fortunate to work with many great collaborators, especially my students.