The Hanner lab is a highly collaborative lab that is working at the cutting edge of science behind eDNA, biodiversity, reclamation, and conservation.
e-DNA Targeted Detection
The rapid advance of eDNA as a tool requires the development of the ecology of the eDNA. This research is both empirical and bioinformatics in nature and is required to truly understand how the signal operates in nature under different abiotic conditions. This research has the ability to move eDNA from an effective species identification tool to one capable of measure relative species densities in the field.
Some Recent Research
Biodiversity
As the biodiversity crisis worsens, the investigation of both terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity is critical. Our work focuses on a variety of terrestrial and aquatic environments, communities, and species. Our work extends from species to community to ecosystem focusing on topics such as interspecific dynamics, abiotic and biotic stressors, and population and community health, structure, and composition.
Reclamation
The restoration and reclamation of human-impacted environments is a global issue. Our work investigates the restoration of various landscapes from various human activities such as agriculture, mining, and urbanization.
What we do
Food Fraud Safety and Security
Our research is interested in using modern biotechnologies (e.g., DNA barcoding) to track food fraud and food security globally. This includes determining species identification (often mislabeled) and provenance (where the fish is from). Our work seeks to use these biotechnologies to enhance the sustainability and security of food.
Some Recent Research
Agricultural applications
Globally, we are pressed to feed a growing population and to do this sustainably. Our work extends from food fraud and security to develop applications to understand the sustainability of agro-ecosystems on and off the fields (streams to lakes).
Some Recent Research