Annie’s research interests focus on using metagenomics to investigate the role microbial symbionts play in host health and resilience within the marine environment. Her appreciation for the critical role microbes play in host health really developed during her time as a Master’s student at Hawai‘i Pacific University. There, I studied the gut microbiome development of aquaculture-raised larval yellow tang to optimize juvenile recruitment in captivity and reduce demands of wild collection. Here in the Rappé lab, she is thrilled to be studying dense pockets of tissue-associated bacteria, termed cell-associated microbial aggregates (CAMA) in marine invertebrates. Despite CAMA abundance across many marine invertebrates including coral, many fundamental questions, including how they form and the nature of their relationship with the host, remain undetermined. In her free time, Annie enjoys scuba diving, hiking, and spending time with her two cats, Mila and Nora.