Banquet Speaker – Chrissy Cabay
As the Project Director for Shedd Aquarium’s Microbiome Project, Chrissy Cabay is responsible for developing a comprehensive, long-term plan to support the country’s only aquarium-based aquatic microbial ecology laboratory. She oversees the implementation of the strategic vision of the Microbiome Project, which is dedicated to researching the impact of the environmental microbiome on aquatic animal health. Serving as a liaison for all internal and external stakeholders, she develops and maintains partnerships with stakeholders including universities and regulatory agencies and manages a research team. Building on her background in education, Cabay is also responsible for creating engaging visitor and learning experiences that help connect audiences to the valuable work and mission of the Microbiome Project.
Cabay started her career at Shedd in 2010 as a science educator and worked her way up to her last position as director of constituent services, in charge of the development and execution of an operating plan designed to engage 80,000 guests annually, including learning and guest engagement initiatives. She brings with her invaluable experience in science project management and expertise in neurobiology and molecular and cellular physiology and has authored several research papers in the fields of biochemistry and genomics. She holds a master’s degree in biology with a concentration in neurobiology and physiology from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Northwestern University.”
