ABOUT ME

Hello! My name is Dr. Heather Donnelly (née Chan). I completed my PhD under the Dr. Xingchen (Tony) Wang in the Earth and Enviornmental Sciences Department at Boston College. I was a recient recipient of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) Short Term Fellowship to conduct work with Dr. Aaron O’Dea and Dr. Matthieu Leray. My research aims to understand nitrogen cycling within corals and coral reefs as well as how anthropogenic influences affect nitrogen cycling in these systems by using stable isotopes (δ¹⁵N).

Originally from Southern New Jersey, I received two B.S. degrees in Marine Biology and Geological Oceanography with a minor in Underwater Archaeology from the University of Rhode Island where I conducted research on nitrous oxide emissions from different oyster species. I later received a M.Sc. in Soil and Water Sciences from the University of Florida where I studied the effect of oyster aquaculture and oyster reefs on sediment nitrogen cycling. In my free time I could be found SCUBA diving, kayaking, and hiking with my pups.