As an experienced research scientist, teacher and mentor, Dr. Ames employs a combination of molecular and morphological tools to address major scientific questions in the fields of behavior, ecology, evolution and systematics. Her research focuses on venomous box jellyfish and seeks to further understanding of this cosmopolitan aquatic organism.
Cheryl has extensive field research experience having worked around the world including in the United States, Canada, Japan, and numerous tropical and subtropical regions. She has a demonstrated ability to collaborate with top-level government and academic researchers and obtain funding for multidisciplinary research projects. While designing experiments and conceiving ideas for publications, she strives to develop projects that strike an even balance between fundamental and applied marine biology.
A selected list of major research works appears below. For a full list of all of her work and more information about her research please visit her Research Gate profile.
Selected Research Publications
Raising Awareness of the Severity of “Contactless Stings” by
Cassiopea Jellyfish and Kin
ICES Journal of Marine Science
Oxford Academic
The role of taxonomic expertise in interpretation of metabarcoding studies
Fieldable Environmental DNA Sequencing to Assess Jellyfish Biodiversity in Nearshore Waters of the Florida Keys, USA
Cassiosomes are stinging-cell structures in the mucus of the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana