Dr. Daniel Killam

Ocean Post-Doc

Dan Killam is a postdoctoral researcher specializing in study of the shell chemistry of mollusks. His main research project in the Biosphere 2 ocean revolves around understanding the symbiotic relationship between tropical giant clams and algae they partner with inside their bodies to accelerate their growth. Dan received a BS in Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California, did his PhD work at UC Santa Cruz in Paleobiology. He spent almost two years working in Israel on giant clams and Mediterranean bittersweet clams before moving to Arizona to farm giant clams for science in the Biosphere 2 ocean. In his free time, he enjoys birding, nature photography and hanging out at home watching classic movies with his cat, hermit crab and various carnivorous plants.