Tricia Rowlison, Ph.D.

Tricia Rowlison is a research specialist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Center for Species Survival. Rowlison’s research focuses on investigating sperm maturation in the domestic cat model. Specifically, she is analyzing the secretion of small vesicles within the male’s reproductive tract, termed "epididymosomes."

Through her work, she has characterized the protein content of these vesicles and identified key proteins that are transferred to the transiting sperm cell population. She has also demonstrated a beneficial effect of the epididymosomes on sperm ability to successfully complete fertilization. Rowlison continues to investigate the potential use of these vesicles to improve assisted reproductive techniques for wild felids.

Rowlison earned her bachelor’s degree in animal sciences at the University of Missouri, and her Master of Science in animal and dairy sciences at Mississippi State University. She earned her doctorate in animal and avian sciences at the University of Maryland in conjunction with SCBI. Rowlison continued as a postdoctoral researcher with SCBI in 2018 in Dr. Pierre Comizzoli’s laboratory at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C.