Rachel Aitchison
Taxonomist, artist, science communicator
Welcome! I'm currently PhD Student at Simon Fraser University with Dr. Nick Dulvy. My research interests are ecology and evolution with an emphasis on understudied cartilaginous fishes (sharks, skates, and rays). I often use art to communicate science and showcase biodiversity. I irregularly participate in #SundayFishSketch on X and used to run an art-based Etsy shop.
Research Interests
My fascination with taxonomy and systematics started with Invertebrate Zoology as an undergraduate and only grew from there. In my last semester as an undergrad, a molecular marine biology course sparked my interest in evolution and phylogenetics and led me to decide to go to graduate school.
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As I dived deeper into the nitty-gritty of taxonomy during my master's, I began to ask questions about form and function.
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Now, as a PhD student, I'm exploring the ecofunctional morphology of sharks and rays by studying how different morphological traits map onto life history traits and extinction risk.
Publications
Aitchison, R.M., Koval, G.N., & Ebert, D.A. (2021) First record
of the Banded Guitarfish, Zapteryx exasperata
(Rhinopristiformes: Trygonorrhinidae), in central California, USA. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 38, 131–137. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5807911
