Darran May

Background

Darran May completed a B.S. in Marine Biology at the University of West Florida in 1995. After a brief period collecting fisheries data in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, he joined the University of Washington as a research scientist in the Department of Molecular Biotechnology’s High Throughput Sequencing Center and Center for Expression Arrays where he developed a strong foundation in molecular biology and research bench work.

Current Research

Darran is currently a Research Scientist at the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences collaborating with NWFSC scientists studying the molecular and physiological mechanisms of olfaction in Pacific salmonids. He has been working with Center scientists since 2001, utilizing an integrative approach to assess the role of olfaction in the life history and ecology of salmon. Current projects he is working on include developing molecular and physiological assays to assess imprinting in salmonids and investigating the effects of barging steelhead (O. mykiss) has on olfactory imprinting. Other research includes extensive fieldwork utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in efforts to understand the effects of integrative hatchery practices on spatial distributions of spawning salmon.