Lindsay Sidak-Loftis Email and Phone Number

After graduation from my bachelors' degrees I obtained a job working in the Conservation Genetics department. In this role, I fulfilled sample requests for collaborative projects such as Genome 10K, as well as for outside investigators who are undertaking research aligned with our conservation mission. My responsibilities included purification and quality control of DNA, and barcode sequencing for species identification. In addition, I also assisted with the California condor recovery project by performing the DNA sexing of all chicks and carry out genotyping for parentage validation on condors hatched from eggs laid in the wild.

I performed research to characterize the genetic diversity of natural populations, including wild Peromyscus mice in Northern Arizona, cottonwood trees (Populus angustifolia), Hawaiian Ohi’a trees (Metrosideros polymorpha) and cattle fever ticks (Rhipicephalus microplus). This work requires meticulous molecular skills, the ability to manage large databases, and a team-based work ethic. I was also involved in a project investigating the influence of plague (Yersinia pestis) on Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) during the past century; in this work I am genotyping MHC alleles from historical (pre-1930) and contemporary populations. I have worked on pathogen genetics as well, including Clostridium difficile from canine pets of the Flagstaff community and experimental infections of non-pathogenic Burkholderia species in laboratory mice. In this work I have become familiar with a wide variety of field and laboratory methods as well as analyses for population genetics and phylogenetics. I had the honor serving on the undergraduate leadership team in the MGGen lab, with responsibilities that include training other undergraduates in the use of molecular genetic techniques, monitoring safe work methods in a BSL2 laboratory, and helping to lead lab tours.

As a teaching assistant I would be responsible for assisted the lecture professor with grading papers, teaching class on days that the professor was absent or in meetings, and helped students improve their achievement in this course. An important element of this position involved tactfully giving constructive criticism when required.

I got hired on as a hostess before I started my freshman year of college, after 6 months I was moved up to working as a server then shortly moved up to being the bartender. This job requires multi-tasking skills to take orders, run food, host and bartend. I was also responsible for handling money and the cash register. As an experienced staff member, I have trained 4 new employees for this restaurant .