Gabrielle Hammerbach

Gabrielle Hammerbach is a graduate research assistant at the University of Houston-Clear Lake completing her master's in biology with a specialization in ecology, microbiology, aquatic, and marine biology. She completed her bachelor's in biology at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas. In the 2023 field season, she was a crew member on the National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA).

Gabrielle currently helps out with the Texas Clean Rivers Program and the Critical Life History Parameters of the Texas Diamond-backed Terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin littoralis long-term monitoring project. Her thesis, “Impacts of Microplastics on the Health of Texas Diamondback Terrapin,” is a subset from the Microplastic Distribution and Impacts to Diamond-backed Terrapin, Highlighting Public Education and Future Effects of Sea-level Rise project. In the first year of the project, she assisted in the development of sediment collection and processing protocols.

After graduation, Gabrielle aims to pursue a PhD and build a career focused on aquatic biology and conservation.