Jennifer Farmer

Heller Fellow/Reproductive Physiology Division

Jennifer Farmer is the 2007 Heller Fellow for the San Diego Zoo's Reproductive Physiology Division, where she is working under Dr. Barbara Durrant and Dr. Mathew Milnes. Her current research focuses on determining biological markers of early pregnancy in African elephants and giant pandas. She hopes to characterize proteins detected in the maternal serum and urine, which can be used to diagnose pregnancy in its earliest stages. The long-term goal is to design assays for proteins specific to ovulation, pregnancy, and parturition in endangered wildlife species. Ideally these assays will allow diagnosis from a single, non-invasive sample – similar to take-home pregnancy tests for humans.

Ms. Farmer received her bachelor of science in animal science from Clemson University in 2003. She is now working to complete her doctorate from Texas A&M University, where her research focuses on the hormonal, cellular, and molecular mechanisms regulating uterine development and uterine function during pregnancy using sheep, pigs, and mice.