As a PhD student at the University of Vermont, I am using landscape genomics to approach pressing questions of fish conservation including cryptic speciation, hybridization, and fishery-induced evolution. Some of my current work is focused on the potential evolutionary consequences of catch-and-release bass tournaments on Lake Champlain.

In my previous role at NOAA's NWFSC, I worked on a variety of projects within the lab and in the field, with study species that ranged from marine mammals to anadromous fishes. A large portion of my work centered on supporting the eDNA initiatives of the Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (IWCPS). I also assist with pinniped and mobulid bycatch genetic identification projects, and a long-term project looking at the effect of the shrimp fishery on endangered eulachon populations.

Betts, M. M., E. A. Hultin, E. M. Hallerman, E. G. Maurakis, and E. A. Frimpong. 2026. Embryonic Selfish-Herding Blurs the Line between Brood Parasitism and Mutualism for Communal-Breeding Stream Fishes. Ecology 107(1): e70302. Link to full article

Betts, M. M., D. C. Haak, E. M. Hallerman, E. G. Maurakis, and E. A Frimpong. 2026. Mr. Mom: Nocomis Embryo‐Burying Effectively Increases Embryo Survival Amidst Predation by all Mutualism Participants. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 35(1), e70035. Link to full article

Shelton, A. O., K. Nichols, K. M. Parsons, M. M. Betts, S. P. Engster, A. Ramón-Laca, M. Parsley, M. Shaffer, A. Wells. 2025. Developing an abundance index for pacific hake using environmental DNA (Appendix G in: Status of the Pacific Hake (whiting) stock in U.S. and Canadian waters in 2025). 286 p.

Betts, M. M., N. Abaid, E. G. Maurakis, and E. A. Frimpong. 2024. Bluehead chub Nocomis leptocephalus hosts exploit selfish-herd benefits from their heterospecific nest associates. Freshwater Biology, 69, 450–459. Link to full article.