Cory McKinstry

Bio

Advisor and Program

Skylar Hopkins
Applied Ecology, NC State University

About

Hello! I am Cory, an incoming PhD student in the Hopkins Lab at NC State University. I bring to the Global Change Research Fellowship program an interdisciplinary background in genetics, molecular disease ecology, and field biology. I have had the privilege of working with several professionally and culturally diverse teams in my research career, gaining mentorship and experience across Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawai’i, Texas, and southern Africa. These experiences have built my passion for education and promoting inclusivity in STEM fields, recognizing that many people face social or financial barriers that prevent them from participating in science and natural resource management. Excluding voices from conservation and climate change conversations prevents us from achieving equitable and effective solutions to global issues. As a GCRF fellow, I am excited to create opportunities for students facing such barriers- all the while continuing to grow and improve as a scientist myself.

Research Interests

My research will identify how climate change influences the dynamics of native and invasive strains of Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, the fungal pathogen that causes ophidiomycosis in snakes. I will map strain distributions among wild southeastern snake populations and assess the interactions between pathogen presence, temperature, and host immunity to identify effects on disease severity. Additionally, I will collaborate with natural resource managers and landowners to improve disease surveillance. My work will advance our understanding of climate-disease relationships and inform options for snake conservation in the face of these interacting threats.