Caitlin Zimmer (she/her) is a graduate student studying biology at the University of New Mexico. Her unique and cutting edge research under Dr. Seth Newsome utilizes compound specific isotope analysis of individual amino acids, a powerful tool for characterizing food webs, migration patterns, past environmental conditions, and much more. Caitlin believes that “if scientists dedicate time and effort to breaking down these complex ideas into digestible terms, the research outcomes could be more applied and valuable.”
In order to work towards this vision, Caitlin created a scientific communication Instagram account titled, @TheNerdyIsotope, where she posts about recent research projects using stable isotope analysis and the science behind this tool. In this interdisciplinary account, she shares case studies across the fields of science including ecology, archaeology, geology, and medicine science.
Her digestible posts range from informative infographics to “Day in the Life” reels of her experience in the lab. Some of her posts include: “Different Tissues = Different Data?!?,” Carbon Isotopes in Primary Producers, and Nitrogen Isotopes in Consumers. She recently began a new post series called “Hot Off The Mass Spec” where she will highlight new isotopic data generated from the mass spectrometers at the Center for Stable Isotopes.
Caitlin is very passionate about the application of isotopes in science, and she wants others to feel the same way…and maybe even begin using the tool in their own research!
