Carol’s research focuses on the conservation genomics and genetics of marine and aquatic fish and invertebrate communities, especially invasive species and those threatened by anthropogenic changes. She was honored to become an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) elected fellow "For distinguished contributions to the fields of molecular evolutionary ecology and conservation genetics, particularly invasive and native populations, and mentorship of graduate and undergraduate students”. She is a Full Professor (adjunct) at Michigan State University in the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations. She also holds a lifetime honor as Distinguished Professor of Ecology at the University of Toledo, and has been a Research Associate with the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. She has published 133 scientific papers and book chapters, and has given >296 research presentations on molecular ecology, evolutionary genomics, population genetics, biogeography, and systematics. She has headed >$14 million in NSF, NOAA, EPA, SeaGrant, and USDA grants. Special research interests are community and species diversity comparisons, using genomic and bioinformatic analyses for evaluating planktonic and benthic sediment communities and environmental (e) DNA across time and space, in relation to anthropogenic and natural fluctuations in chemical, physical, and biological patterns in marine and freshwater communities.