Biography

Mia Keady is a graduate student researcher at the Center for Conservation Genomics. Keady studies the gut microbiome of captive elephants and the relationship to major health concerns in captivity. She is interested in how microorganisms affect the reproductive biology and overall well-being of elephants.

Keady's projects include:

  • Elephant gut microbiome study

Keady earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Nebraska Wesleyan in 2014, and is currently working on her master’s degree at the School of Systems Biology at George Mason University.

Projects

two hands with blue gloves hold a small plastic bag with a red salamander in it. Various test tubes and other lab supplies lay on a wood table around it.

Microbiomes and Metagenomics
Smithsonian scientists are working to uncover the earth's incredible diversity of microorganisms and to understand how they impact plant, animal and ecosystem health.