Our Team

Michael Acquafredda

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Research Interests

Short History

Dr. Michael Acquafredda earned his BS in Biology from Tufts University in 2015 and his PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University in 2021. His dissertation research was conducted at the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory and focused on expanding shellfish aquaculture through diversification and selective breeding. In 2020, he was awarded the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship and worked at the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Acidification Program to advance domestic and international ocean acidification policy.  After completing the Knauss fellowship and a postdoctoral research position with the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, Dr. Acquafredda was awarded a postdoctoral research fellowship through the National Research Council. For this postdoc, Dr. Acquafredda conducted research on integrated multi-trophic aquaculture systems at the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center. In 2023, Dr. Acquafredda returned to the Rutgers University Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory as a research scientist. Today, Dr. Acquafredda continues to conduct aquaculture research, extension, and education work at Rutgers as an Assistant Extension Specialist in Aquaculture, where he serves as a bridge between the university and the aquaculture sector.

Teaching Efforts

Daniel Barone

Short History

Dr. Barone is a jointly-appointed Associate Research Professor within the Rutgers University Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences (DMCS), Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT), and Department of Geography. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Marine Science and Instructional Technology from Stockton University and a PhD in Physical Geography from Rutgers University.  Dr. Barone has over 15 years of experience addressing coastal resilience issues related to beach-dune storm vulnerability, maritime transportation, coastal floodplain mapping, and beneficial use of dredged material. He utilizes spatial data analysis, remote sensing, and coastal modeling techniques to solve complex coastal problems and present solutions to various audiences.  Dr. Barone is also a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) and Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP).

Courses

Geographic Information Systems
Advanced Geographic Information Systems
Coastal Geomorphology
Science in Shoreline Management

Karen Bemis

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Research Interests

K. Bemis’s research interests are primarily cross-disciplinary combining the development of new computer-based algorithms to view and understand geologic phenomena with the study of the phenomena. In particular, she seeks to quantify and illustrate changing geologic phenomena using computer visualization techniques, especially feature segmentation methods. Specific projects include the fluid dynamics of seafloor hydrothermal plumes, the growth of cinder (scoria) cone volcanoes, and the evolution of faults in 2D and 3D. Her research focuses on clarifying the controls on fluid flow and transport in geologic processes using both analytical and numerical methods. Results have been presented on particle sedimentation in seafloor hydrothermal plumes, the interaction of multiple plumes in a cross-flowing environment, and the connection between magma supply and volcanic growth. An interest in developing better visiospatial training techniques for the visualization skills needed in the geological sciences has grown out of the involvement of graduate and undergraduate students in her research. Important areas of focus include the capture if visualization properties that affect visualization comprehension and the creation of cognitive strategies to overcome these difficulties.

Kay Bidle

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Research Interests

Kay is a microbial oceanographer broadly defined. His research program focuses on microbial ecophysiology (especially eukaryotic phytoplankton), host-virus interactions/arms races, virology, molecular evolution and ecology, carbon flux biogeochemistry, and ecosystem processes. It merges physiology, biochemistry, and genome-enabled omics approaches to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms that shape microbial interactions, their success in the oceans, and their influence on our natural world. Marine microbes (i.e., phytoplankton, bacteria, viruses) account for >95% of all oceanic biomass and their dynamic activities drive oceanic biogeochemical cycles. Yet, we are faced with fundamental open questions about their activity, molecular diversity, interactions, and evolution. Kay is particularly interested in how microbial arms races are regulated, especially those between algal hosts and viruses, and how specific classes of microbial genes influence microbial response to stress, ultimately influencing the ocean’s ecology and upper ocean biogeochemistry. It is the genetic imprint of marine microbes and their interaction with the environment and each other that shape how the ocean works and determine its response to environmental change. He has placed particular emphasis on host-virus interactions and how viruses impact carbon cycling, export and carbon sequestration. He currently leads a multi-institution NSF-funded Growing Convergence Research—one of NSF’s Top10 ideas—project blending biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, applied math and modeling to assess how viruses impact Earth’s carbon cycle and how prevailing ocean conditions exert fundamental controls on the predictive outcomes.

Short History

Kay received his B.S. in Biological Sciences and minor in Geography at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in 1991. After graduation, Kay worked at the Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB) in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor as a Faculty Research Assistant before obtaining his PhD in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. There he examined the small-scale interactions between marine bacteria and diatoms and its mechanistic control on oceanic carbon cycling under the mentorship of Farooq Azam. Kay started at Rutgers as a Postdoctoral Fellow under Paul Falkowski and then joined the faculty in 2005. Over the course of his career, Kay has won several prestigious awards. These include the Raymond A. Lindeman Award from the Association of Limnology and Oceanography and Edward A. Frieman Award from Scripps for excellence in research. He was selected as a Marine Microbiology Initiative Investigator by the Gordon & Betty Moore  Foundation—one of 16 international scientists to receive this award— and a Kavli Fellow from the US National Academy of Sciences. At Rutgers, Kay has been selected for a Board of Trustees Research Fellow for Scholarly Excellence, a Faculty Scholar-Teacher Award and a Research Excellence Award. Most recently, Kay was awarded the Outstanding Graduate in the Natural and Mathematical Sciences by UMBC’s Alumni Association.

Teaching Efforts

Undergraduate

Introduction to Oceanography (11:628:120:02/01:460:120:02)
Molecular Microbial Oceanography (11:628:404)
Advanced Technologies in Biosciences (11:126:444)
Guest Lectures in: Biological Oceanography: Water Column Ecosystems & Processes (16:712:520), Comparative Virology (11:126:407)

Graduate

Molecular Microbial Oceanography (16:712:525, 16:681:602, 16:215:603)
Biochemistry Seminar Course–Topics in Molecular & Cell Biology (16:695:611:01)
Guest Lectures in: Biological Oceanography: Water Column Ecosystems & Processes (16:712:520), Comparative Virology (11:126:407), First Year Seminar in Ecology and Evolution (16:215: 601); First Year Seminar in Microbial Biology (16:682:521); Microbial Life (16:682:501)

Outreach

I have worked hard to establish an impactful (and lasting) ‘Broader Impact Identity’ as a central to communicating my research and the importance of science in general to the broader community. Studies highlight a need to provide rich and robust opportunities for young people to access and participate in science both in and out of school, especially underrepresented groups and women, and to provide examples of varied STEM career paths. Allowing opportunities to engage and interact with data in multiple, authentic ways is an important component of STEM education for philosophical, pedagogical, and practical reasons. There is a particular need to bring the process of science, real-world datasets, models, and simulations into classrooms to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Using previous NSF-funded support, I created the ‘Tools of Science’ (ToS) (https://www.youtube.com/c/ToolsofScience), a series of educational videos and lesson plans designed to help learners explore the nature and process of science in the context of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). It includes short, educational videos on: ‘Asking Testable Questions’, ‘Collaborations’, ‘Sampling’, ‘Modeling’, ‘Proxies’, ‘Data As A Tool’, and ‘Creativity’, as well as an ‘ENIGMA’ case study. We continue to develop the ToS platform to engage a broader group of students and educators by developing new NGSS-ready materials and evaluating their impact on our target audiences.

Select Publications

Johns, C.T., K.G.V. Bondoc-Naumovitz, A. Matthews, P.G. Matson, M.D. Iglesias-Rodriguez, A.R. Taylor, H.L. Fuchs and K.D. Bidle. 2023. Adsorptive exchange of coccolith biominerals facilitates viral infection. Sci. Adv. 9:eadc8728.

Locke, H., K.D. Bidle, K. Thamatrakoln, C. Johns, J.A. Bonachela, B.D. Ferrell, and K.E. Wommack. 2022. Virioplankton, the carbon cycle, and our future ocean. Adv. Virus Res. 114: 67-146

Diaz, B.P., B. Knowles, C.T. Johns, C.P. Laber, K.G.V. Bondoc, E.L. Harvey, D. Lowenstein, H. Fredricks, J.E. Hunter, L. Haramaty, F. Natale, J. Graff, N. Haentjens, N. Baetge, K. Mojica, P. Gaube, E. Boss, C. Carlson, M.J. Behrenfeld, B.A.S. Van Mooy, and K.D. Bidle. 2021. Seasonal mixed layer dynamics shape phytoplankton physiology, viral infection, and accumulation in the North Atlantic. Nature Comm. 12(1): 6634.

Knowles, B., J. Bonachela, M. Behrenfeld, K.G.V. Bondoc, B.B. Cael, C.A. Carlson, N. Cieslik, B. Diaz, H.L. Fuchs, J. Graff, J. Grasis, K. Halsey, L. Haramaty, C.T. Johns, F. Natale, J.I. Nissimov, B. Schieler, K. Thamatrakoln, T.F. Thingstad, S. Våge, C. Watkins, T. Westberry, and K.D. Bidle. 2020. Temperate infection in a canonically virulent host-virus system. Nature Comm. 11:4626.

Nissimov, J.I, D. Talmy, L. Haramaty, H. Fredricks, U. Zelzion, M. Eren, R. Vandzura, C. Laber, B. Schieler, C. Johns, K.D. More, M.J.L. Coolen, M.J. Follows, D. Bhattacharya, B.A.S. Van Mooy and K.D. Bidle. 2019. Biochemical diversity of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis as a driver of Coccolithovirus competitive ecology. Environ. Microbiol. 21(6):2182–2197

Johns, C.T., J.I. Nissimov, A. Grubb, F. Natale, V. Knapp, A. Mui, H. Fredricks, B.A.S. Van Mooy and K.D. Bidle. 2019. The mutual interplay between calcification and coccolithovirus infection. Environ. Microbiol. 21(6):1896–1915

Bidle, K.D. 2015. The molecular ecophysiology of programmed cell death in marine phytoplankton. Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci., 7: 341-375.

Laber, C.P., J.E. Hunter, A.F. Carvalho, J.R. Collins, E.J. Hunter, B. Schieler, E. Boss, K. More, M. Frada, K. Thamatrakoln, C.M. Brown, L. Haramaty, J. Ossolinski, H. Fredricks, J.I. Nissimov, R. Vandzura, U. Sheyn, Y. Lehahn, R.J. Chant, A.M. Martins, M.J.L. Coolen, A. Vardi, G.R. DiTullio, B.A.S. Van Mooy, and K.D. Bidle. 2018. Coccolithovirus facilitation of carbon export in the North Atlantic. Nature Microbiol. 3:537–547

Pasulka, A.L., K. Thamatrakoln, S.H. Kopf, Y. Guan, B. Poulos, A. Moradian, M.J. Sweredoski, S. Hess, M.B. Sullivan, K.D. Bidle, V.J. Orphan. 2018. Interrogating marine virus-host interactions and elemental transfer with BONCAT and nanoSIMS-based methods. Environ. Microbiol. 20(2):671-692

Bidle, K.D. 2016. Programmed cell death in unicellular phytoplankton. Curr. Biol. 26(13): R594–R607

Thamatrakoln, K., B. Bailleul, C.M. Brown, M.Y. Gorbunov, A.B. Kustka, M. Frada, P. Joliot, P.G. Falkowski and K.D. Bidle. 2013. Death-specific protein in a marine diatom regulates photosynthetic responses to iron and light availability. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 10(50): 20123-20128.

Vardi, A., L. Haramaty, B.A.S. Van Mooy, H.F. Fredricks, S.A. Kimmance, A. Larsen, and K.D. Bidle. 2012. Host–virus dynamics and subcellular controls of cell fate in a natural coccolithophore population. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 109(47): 19327-19332.

Bidle, K.D. and A. Vardi. A chemical arms race at sea mediates algal host–virus interactions. 2011. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 14(4): 449-457.

Bidle, K.A., L. Haramaty, N. Baggett, J. Nannen, and K.D. Bidle. 2010. Tantalizing evidence for archaeal caspase-like protein expression and activity and its role in cellular stress response. Environ. Microbiol. 12(5): 1161-1172.

Vardi, A, B. Van Mooy, H.F. Fredricks, K.J. Popendorf, J.E. Ossolinski L. Haramaty, and K.D. Bidle. 2009. Viral glycosphingolipids induce lytic infection and cell death in marine phytoplankton. Science 326 (5954): 861-865.

Bidle, K.D., S. Lee, D.R. Marchant and P.G. Falkowski. 2007. Fossil genes and microbes in the oldest ice on Earth. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 104(33): 13455-13460.

Bidle, K.D., L. Haramaty, J. Barcelos-Ramos and P.G. Falkowski. 2007. Viral activation and recruitment of metacaspases in the unicellular coccolithophorid, Emiliania huxleyi. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 6049-6054.

Bidle, K.D. and P.G. Falkowski. 2004. Cell death in planktonic, photosynthetic microorganisms. Nature Reviews Microbiol. 2: 643-655.

Bidle, K.D., M. Manganelli and F. Azam. 2002. Regulation of diatom silicon and carbon preservation by temperature effects on bacterial activity. Science 298:1980-1984.

Bidle, K.D. and F. Azam. 1999. Accelerated dissolution of diatom silica by marine bacterial assemblages. Nature. 397:508-512.

Benedict Borer

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Research Interests

As a microbial biogeochemist, I am interested in how microorganisms control planetary biogeochemistry and modulate the impact of anthropogenic pollution. Research in the lab focuses on how microbes interact with each other and their environment, how they shape their localized biogeochemistry, and how they collectively impact biogeochemical cycles across scales in the Earth system. We combine computational (bioinformatics, computational fluid dynamics, individual-based modeling), wet lab (microfluidics, imaging, flow cytometry, analytical chemistry), and field-going approaches to gain a holistic and mechanism-based understanding of microbial ecosystems.

Short History

I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Systems Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) and a Master of Science in Hydrology from Imperial College London. I pursued a Ph.D. at the interface of Soil Physics and Environmental Microbiology back at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ). Subsequently, I became a Swiss National Science Foundation postdoctoral research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the group of Andrew Babbin studying the interactions between microbes and marine particles before joining the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Rutgers University.

Kaixuan Bu

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Full CV

Research Interests

Environmental geochemistry, ocean chemistry, paleoclimate and paleoceanography

Education

• PhD in Chemistry, University of Mississippi (2013)
• Master of Engineering , Applied Chemistry, Donghua University, China (2008)
• Bachelor of Engineering, Bioengineering at Donghua University, China (2005)

Teaching Efforts

16:712:514 Inductively Couples Plasma Spectroscopy Principles & Applications

Ryan has taken on the lead role in the Rutgers Inorganic Analytical Laboratory (RIAL) https://rial.marine.rutgers.edu/
where he is responsible for the maintenance and technical issues relating to the instruments and associated equipment, in order to keep the facility running efficiently and producing high-quality data.

David Bushek

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Research Interests

The predominant thrust of my research concerns host-parasite interactions in bivalve molluscs. A second focus aims to enhance our understanding of the ecological impact of bivalves, particularly the eastern oyster, at the population, community and ecosystem levels.

Short History

Dr. Bushek began his graduate training at the University of Houston where he developed an interest in marine ecology studying settlement and recruitment dynamics in the intertidal zone. After working a few years as a technician, he entered the doctoral program at Rutgers working on host-parasite interactions in molluscan shellfish. After earning his doctorate in 1994 he spent the next decade at the University of South Carolina as the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory’s Assistant Directory before returning to the Haskin Lab at Rutgers where he currently serves as Director.

Teaching Efforts

Undergraduate
Aquaculture
Oceanographic Methods & Data Analysis

Graduate
Selected Topics in Shellfish Ecology and Pathology

Select Publications

Ben-Horin, T., G. Bidegain, L. Huey, D.A. Narvaez, and D. Bushek (2015) Parasite transmission through particle feeding. J. Invert. Path. (in press)

Dungan, C.F. and D. Bushek. 2015. Development and applications of Ray’s fluid thioglycollate media for detection and manipulation of Perkinsus spp. pathogens of marine molluscs. J. Invert. Pathol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2015.05.004.

Bushek, D., S.E. Ford and I. Burt. 2012. Long-term patterns of an estuarine pathogen along a salinity gradient. J Marine Research, 70(2-3):225-251.

Ford, S.E. and D. Bushek. 2012. Development of resistance to an introduced marine pathogen by a native host. J. Marine Research, 70(2-3):205-223.

Ford, S.E., E. Scarpa and D. Bushek. 2012. Spatial and temporal variability of disease refuges in an estuary: implications for the development of resistance. J. Marine Research, 70(2-3):253-277.

Whalen, L., D. Kreeger, D. Bushek and J. Moody. 2012. Strategic Planning for Living Shorelines in the Delaware Estuary. National Wetlands Newsletter, 34(6):14-19.

Taylor, J. and D Bushek. 2008. Intertidal oyster reefs can persist and function in a temperate North American Atlantic estuary. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 361:301-306.

Dame, R., D. Bushek, D. Allen, A. Lewitus, D. Edwards, E. Koepfler and L. Gregory. 2002. Ecosystem response to bivalve density reduction: management implications. Aquatic Ecology, 36:51-65.

Bushek, D. and S.K. Allen, Jr. 1996. Host-parasite interactions among broadly distributed populations of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica and the protozoan Perkinsus marinus. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 139:127-141.

Robert Chant

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Research Interests

My main research focus is on the physics of estuarine and coastal systems. Specifically, my research utilizes observations, theory and modeling to advance our understanding of processes that control stratification, vertical mixing and dispersion because they are central in defining the physical and biogeochemical function of these environments. My interests and activities include both basic studies of the physics of these systems as well as addressing applied problems such as sediment and contaminant transport, effects of basin engineering on circulation and mixing and more recently how climate change and water shed activities may influence these systems in the future.

Short History

Grew up on Long Island’s south shore where I informally explored marine science as a amature sailor and professional clam digger. Earned an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from SUNY Buffalo in 1985 and a PhD in Oceanography from SUNY Stony Brook in 1995. Began at Rutgers University as a Post-doctoral fellow in 1995 and where I am now a Professor in the Marine and Coastal Science Department.

Teaching Efforts

Undergraduate
Humans Interacting with the Coastal Ocean
Introduction to Physical Oceanography
Exploring New Jersey’s Water Ways (Byrne Seminar)
Geophysical Data Analysis

Graduate
Introduction to Physical Oceanography
Geophysical Data Analysis
Coastal and Estuarine Ocean Dynamics

Select Publications

Aristizábal, María, Robert Chant, 2013: A Numerical Study of Salt Fluxes in Delaware Bay Estuary. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 43, 1572–1588

Jurisa, JT, RJ Chant, 2013, Impact of offshore winds on a buoyant river plume system. Submitted to the Journal of Physical Oceanography, 43:2571:2587, DOI: 10.1175/JPO-D-12-0118.1

Chant. R.J D. Fugate and E Garvey, 2011, “The role of evolving dynamics and geomorphology in shaping an estuarine superfund site” Estuaries and Coasts 34: 90-105, DOI: 10.1007/s12237-010-9324-z

Chant R J, 2010, Estuarine Secondary Circulation. In Contemporary topics in estuarine physics and water quality. Cambridge University Press.

Chant, R. J., S. M. Glenn, E. Hunter, J. Kohut, R. F. Chen, R. W. Houghton, J. Bosch, and O. Schofield (2008), Bulge Formation of a Buoyant River Outflow, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2007JC004100

Chant, R.J., W.R. Geyer, R.H Houghton, E. Hunter and J. Lerzcak (2007) “Estuarine boundary layer mixing processes: insights from dye experiments” Journal of Physical Oceanography Vol. 37 No 7 1859-1877

Chant, R. J. 2002. Secondary flows in a region of flow curvature: relationship with tidal forcing and river discharge. Journal of Geophysical Research. 10.1029/2001JC001082, 21 September.

Paul Falkowski

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Bennett L. Smith Chair in Business and Natural Resources

Departments of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Marine and Coastal Sciences

Board of Governors Professor and Founding Director of the Rutgers Energy Institute

Research Interests

My research interests are focused on three areas – origins of life, how electron transfer reactions are mediated, and how organisms transformed the geochemistry of Earth. In the evolution of Earth, microbes became a major force in transforming this planet to make it habitable for animals, including humans. I seek to understand the basic chemical reactions that enabled microbes to transform Earth’s geochemistry. I work at the molecular level of proteins and fundamental chemical reactions of minerals, and the global scale of how this planet came to have oxygen as the second most abundant gas. I am most interested in understanding how these kinds of processes have transformed our planet and may evolve on planetary bodies in our solar system and on extra-solar planets. There are only two questions I address: Where did we come from? And are we alone?

Short History

After graduating from the University of British Columbia and doing a 9 month post-doc at the University of Rhode Island, I was hired at the Brookhaven National Laboratory as staff scientist in the newly formed Oceanographic and Atmospheric Sciences Division. I worked there for 23 years and developed the field of environmental biophysics. In 1998 I moved my research group to Rutgers University. In 2007 I was elected to the National Academy of Science for my research on the global carbon cycle.

Teaching Efforts

History of Earth Systems 11:628:476:01 (Marine and Coastal Sciences – Undergrad.)
16:712:560:01 (Oceanography-Grad.)

Heidi Fuchs

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Research Interests

My research focuses on three main themes: 1) mechanistic interactions between planktonic invertebrate larvae and small-scale physics, 2) impacts of small-scale biophysical interactions on large-scale movements and settlement patterns, and 3) predator-prey interactions and their effects on planktonic ecosystem dynamics. These problems are fundamentally interdisciplinary, and my work integrates empirical and theoretical approaches from fluid mechanics, physical oceanography, and quantitative marine ecology.

Short History

2005 PhD, MIT & Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biological Oceanography
1999 BS, University of Wyoming, Zoology
1990 BS, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Art

Teaching Efforts

Undergraduate/Graduate
Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems
Biophysical Interactions

Scott Glenn

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Full CV | Two Page CV | Press Kit

Research Interests

My research interests include the development of new autonomous ocean observing technologies, their application to scientific research in remote and extreme environments, and the demonstration of new educational paradigms. My technology development work focuses on autonomous systems that can be operated remotely as distributed networks to improve the spatial sampling of complex environments. A major scientific focus is extreme events, including storms, hurricanes and typhoons, investigating with observations and numerical models the linkages between the ocean, the atmosphere above, and the seabed below. My educational activities are designed to better prepare students to meet the challenges of a changing environment using modern observatories to explore the global ocean.

Short History

After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in 1983 with a Sc.D. in Ocean Engineering, I began an over 30-year research career of implementing sustained real-time ocean observation and forecast systems first for offshore oil exploration at Shell Development Company (1983-1986), then for the Naval Oceanography Command supporting fleet operations while at Harvard University (1986-1990), and, since 1990, for a wide range of scientific and societal applications at Rutgers University. In the only U.S. national program to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching, I was named one of the U.S. Professors of the Year representing the State of New Jersey by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Teaching Efforts

Dynamics of Waves, Currents and Sediment Transport (Oceanography – Grad)
Ocean Observatories Research Course (Marine and Coastal Sciences – Undergrad)
Oceanography House (Marine and Coastal Sciences – Undergrad)
Ocean Methods and Data Analysis (Marine and Coastal Sciences – Undergrad)

Max Gorbunov

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Research Interest

Biological oceanography, coral reefs, biophysics and physiology of photosynthesis, photoreceptors, benthic ecosystems, ocean optics, relationship between physical and biological processes in the ocean, global biogeochemical cycles, remote sensing.

Thomas Grothues

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Research Interests

I am interested in the abundance and distribution of fishes as responses to physical factors. These responses include those that could be considered involuntary, such as distribution of larvae by ocean currents and mortality or loss of reproductive capacity in unsuitable environments. Responses also include those that are voluntary (behavioral), such as migration, ranging, and sheltering (including burial). The physical factors that I investigate as impacts include natural and anthropogenic perturbations such as restoration efforts, urbanization of water fronts, seasonal and inter-annual water quality fluctuations and ocean structure. In the last 10 years I have worked extensively with adult and juvenile stages on movement, migration, and habitat choice. In doing so, I developed an interest in furthering technologies and strategies to meet the challenges of studying highly mobile fish in the ocean, including sablefish and salmon  in deep Alaskan waters, sturgeon, flounder, and other sport fishes along the East and Gulf coasts of the US, and pelagic thresher sharks in the Visayan Sea, Philipinnes. The development of tools such as payload-controlled autonomous underwater vehicles for fish tracking and imaging, and related processing algorithms for sonar image classification and decision making, can be revealing but require understanding of natural history and behavior in order to be effective in implementation. These investigations are therefore truly cross-disciplinary and involve collaborations with other biologists, physical and geological oceanographers, commercial fishers, and mechanical, electrical, computer, and acoustical engineers, as well as interaction with Federal, State, municipal, and private-sector resource managers.

Ximing Guo

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Research Interests

My research is on genetics, evolutionary biology and aquaculture of molluscs. I am interested in genetic mechanisms of molluscan development and adaption, and their applications in the improvement of cultured molluscs. Research in my lab may include basic studies towards a better understanding of molluscan biology and evolution, including studies on how genomic changes, meiosis and sex affect fitness and environmental adaptation. I also conduct applied research on genetic improvement of cultured molluscs as molluscan aquaculture plays an important role in sustainable seafood production. Applied research may include genetic analyses of economically important traits such as growth and disease resistance, and the development of new technologies for improving cultured molluscs through polyploidization and genomic selection.

Short History

Ximing Guo received his Ph.D. from University of Washington (Seattle). He joined the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in 1992 and became a Research Assistant Professor in 1995. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2001, Full Professor in 2007 and Distinguished Professor in 2019. Ximing is an Honored Life Member of the National Shellfisheries Association (USA). He has been directing the Shellfish Genetics and Breeding Program at Rutgers since 1998.

Teaching Efforts

Aquaculture, 11:628:317

Select Publications

Guo, X., J.B. Puritz, Z. Wang, D. Proestou, S. Allen Jr., J. Small, K. Verbyla, H. Zhao, J. Haggard, N. Chriss, D. Zeng, K. Lundgren, B. Allam, D. Bushek, M. Gomez-Chiarri, M. Hare, C. Hollenbeck, J. La Peyre, M. Liu, K. E. Lotterhos, L. Plough, P. Rawson, S. Rikard, E. Saillant, R. Varney, G. Wikfors, and A. Wilbur. 2023. Development and evaluation of high-density SNP arrays for the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. Marine Biotechnology, 25:174-191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-022-10191-3

Li, Y., K. M. Slavik, H. C. Toyoda, B. R. Morehouse, C. C. de Oliveira Mann, A. Elek, S. Levy, Z. Wang, K. S. Mears, J. Liu, D. Kashin, X. Guo, T. Mass, A. Sebé-Pedrós, F. Schwede & P. J. Kranzusch. 2023. cGLRs are a diverse family of pattern recognition receptors in innate immunity. Cell 186:3261-3276.e3220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.05.038

Zeng, D., Guo, X. 2022. Mantle transcriptome provides insights into biomineralization and growth regulation in the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). Marine Biotechnology, 24:82-96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-021-10088-7

Guo, X., C. Li and H. Wang. 2018. Diversity and evolution of living oysters. J. Shellfish Res., 37(4):755-771. https://doi.org/10.2983/035.037.0407

Guo, X., and S.E. Ford. 2016. Infectious diseases of marine molluscs and host responses as revealed by genomic tools. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B, 371: 20150206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0206

Guo, X., Y. He, L. Zhang, C. Lelong and A. Jouaux. 2015. Immune and stress responses in oysters with insights on adaptation. Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 46:107-119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fsi.2015.05.018

Zhang, N., F. Xu & X. Guo. 2014. Genomic analysis of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) reveals possible conservation of vertebrate sex determination in a Mollusc. G3: Genes| Genomes| Genetics, 4:2207-2217. https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.114.013904

Zhang, G., X. Fang, X. Guo, L. Li, R. Luo, F. Xu, et al (80). 2012. The oyster genome reveals stress adaptation and complexity of shell formation. Nature, 490:49-54. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature11413)

He, Y., H. Yu, Z. Bao, Q. Zhang and X. Guo. 2012. Mutation in promoter region of a serine protease inhibitor confers Perkinsus marinus resistance in the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). Fish & Shellfish Immunology 33: 411-417.

Guo, X., Y. Wang, Z. Xu and H. Yang. 2009. Chromosome set manipulation in shellfish. Pp 165 – 195 in: New Technologies in Aquaculture: Improving Production Efficiency, Quality and Environmental management, G. Burnell and G. Allan (eds). Woodhead Publishing.

Tanguy, A., X. Guo and S.E. Ford. 2004. Discovery of genes expressed in response to Perkinsus marinus challenge in eastern (Crassostrea virginica) and Pacific (C. gigas) oysters. Gene, 338:121-131.

Guo, X., D. Hedgecock, W.K. Hershberger, K. Cooper and S.K. Allen, Jr. 1998. Genetic determinants of protandric sex in Crassostrea oyster. Evolution, 52(2):394-402.

Guo, X., G. DeBrosse and S.K. Allen, Jr. 1996. All-triploid Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas Thunberg) produced by mating tetraploids and diploids. Aquaculture, 142:149-161.

Lee Kerkhof

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Research Interests

The purpose of my research is to elucidate the active microbes in a variety of complex environments, and to understand the mechanisms driving microbial diversity and biogeochemical processes. Specifically, I use nucleic acid based analyses to identify those microorganisms (prokaryotic, archaeal, and eukaryotic) that are making ribosomes or incorporating C and N into their genomes. These microbes are by definition “active” and are controlling the biogeochemistry of the habitats in which they are found. These research efforts have focused on active bacteria in aeolian systems, in aquatic systems, in association with eukaryotic hosts, and in sediments/soils. Additionally, our research spans a continuum from studies of pure cultures, to engineered systems, to field measurements. I believe that understanding the biological forces shaping microbial communities and their activity will lead to better predictions regarding the biogeochemical processes that sustain life on this planet.

Short History

Lee Kerkhof received his Ph.D. from the Univ. of CA, San Diego/Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1991. He had post-doctoral experience at the Univ. of CA/Irvine, the Agouron Institute, and Brookhaven National Laboratory before arriving at Rutgers in 1994. Dr. Kerkhof has been at Rutgers for over 20 years and is currently a Professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences.

Teaching Efforts

Microbial Life (16:681:501) Graduate survey course on the breadth of microbial life and diversity in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Emphasis is placed on the ecological role microbes play in habitats ranging from microbial mats to the human body.
Ocean Ecology (11:628:462) and Biological Oceanography(16:712:522) Undergrad/Grad lecture course focused on understanding the interactions of marine organisms with each other and with the physical, chemical, and geological properties of the ocean.
Introduction to Oceanography (11:628:120) Undergrad lecture course introducing non-major students to the essential aspects of oceanography, including geological, physical, chemical, and biological processes.
Readings/exercises have students learn how ocean systems work, how marine systems are studied, how the ocean influences Earth’s biosphere and atmosphere, how the oceans support living ecosystems, and which issues are of concern for the fate of oceans and their coastlines.

Josh Kohut

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Research Interests

Physical processes in the coastal ocean are highly variable in space and time and play a critical role in coupled biological and chemical processes. From events lasting several hours to days on through inter-annual and decadal scales, the variability in the fluid itself structures marine ecological systems. My approach is to apply ocean observing technologies that now sample across these important time and space scales to better understand the physical ocean that structures marine ecosystems. I am involved in many research and education programs that range in scope from storm intensity, offshore wind, and local water quality monitoring off the NJ coast; regional fisheries along the US east coast; and environmental studies of polar ecosystems in the coastal waters surrounding Antarctica. Consequently, this new knowledge has relevancy to broader stakeholder communities with interests in the coastal ocean. Working through partnerships across these stakeholder groups, my research is collaborative and supports both science and application. Through these partnerships I am able to frame relevant scientific hypotheses and efficiently translate the output to better management and monitoring.

Short History

Growing up in New Jersey, my interest in the physics of the ocean began along the shores of Barnegat Bay. After receiving my Bachelor’s degree in Physics at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, I returned to New Jersey and began my research career at Rutgers. Now I look forward to addressing new science and, working through partnerships, translating that science into applications that benefit the many stakeholders with interests in the coastal ocean.

Julia Levin

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Research Interests

Regional and multi-scale ocean modeling, data assimilation and observing system design, real-time ocean forecasting

Education

• PhD(App.Math), Columbia University, 1995;
• MS, Columbia University, 1992;
• BS(App.Math), Moscow Oil and Gas Academy, 1988.

Select Publications

• J.Levin, H.Arango, B.Laughlin, E.Hunter, J.Wilkin, A.Moore,”Observation impacts on the Mid-Atlantic Bight front and cross-shelf transport in 4D-Var ocean state estimates: Part II – The Pioneer Array”, Ocean Modelling, 157, 2021, 101731
• J.Levin, H.Arango, B.Laughlin, E.Hunter, J.Wilkin, A.Moore,”Observation impacts on the Mid-Atlantic Bight front and cross-shelf transport in 4D-Var ocean state estimates: Part I – Multiplatform analysis”, Ocean Modelling, 156, 2020, 101721
• A. Lopez, J.Wilkin, J. Levin, “Doppio – a ROMS (v3.6)-based circulation model for the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Maine: configuration and comparison to integrated coastal observing network observations”, Geosci. Model Dev., 13,  2020, 3709-3729
• J. Levin, H. G. Arango, B. Laughlin, J. Wilkin, and A.Moore,”The impact of remote sensing observations on cross-shelf transport estimates from 4D-Var analyses of the Mid-Atlantic Bight”, Advances in Space Research, 2019, in press
• J. Wilkin, J. Levin, A. Lopez, E. Hunter, J. Zavala-Garay, and H. Arango, A coastal ocean forecast system for the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Maine, In New Frontiers in Operational Oceanography, Proceedings of the GODAE OceanView International School 2017, E. Chassignet, A. Pascual, J. Tintore and J. Verron (Eds.), Springer, New York, 2018, 593-623
• J. Levin, J. Wilkin, N. Fleming and J. Zavala-Garay, “Mean circulation of the Mid-Atlantic Bight from a climatological data assimilative model”, Ocean Modelling, 128, 2018, 1-14
• W.G. Zhang, J.L. Wilkin, J.C. Levin , “Towards an integrated observation and modeling system in the New York Bight using variational methods, Part II: Representer-based observing system design”, Ocean Modelling, 35(3), 2010, 134-145
• W.G. Zhang, J.L. Wilkin, J.C. Levin , H.G. Arango, “An Adjoint Sensitivity Study of Bouyancy- and Wind-driven Circulation on the New Jersey Inner Shelf”, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 39(7), 2009, 1652-1668
• J. Levin, M. Iskandarani, D.B. Haidvogel “To Continue or Discontinue: Comparisons of Continuous and Discontinuous Galerkin Formulations in a Spectral Element Ocean Model, Ocean Modeling, 15, 2006, 56-70
• J. Levin, D.B. Haidvogel, B. Chua, A.F.Bennett, M. Iskandarani “Euler-Lagrange Equations for the Spectral Element Shallow Water System”, Ocean Modeling, 12, 2006, 348-377

Alex Lopez

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Research/Teaching Interests

My research interests include applications of regional ocean models to transport pathways and timescales, as well as simulating regional microplastic particle fate. My teaching interests include developing students into skilled researchers that exemplify lifelong learners, through critical thinking engagement, practical learning experiences, and presentation opportunities.

Short History

I received my B.S. in Physics from The College of New Jersey in 2010, then a Master of Arts in Teaching in 2011, also from The College of New Jersey. I received my Ph.D. from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in 2020, studying circulation timescales and transport pathways of the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Maine using ROMS. I was a postdoctoral scholar at Pennsylvania State University, studying microplastic particle fate within Chesapeake Bay using modeling.

Teaching Efforts

16:712:505 Integrated Ocean Observing 1
16:712:506 Integrated Ocean Observing 2

16:712:507 Field Laboratory Methods 1
16:712:508 Field Laboratory Methods 2

16:712:509 Integrated Ocean Observing – Software Bootcamp

16:712:510 Operational Ocean Modeling & Data Visualization

Richard Lutz

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CV

Research Interests

Ecology of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents; Discovery of Marine Natural Products; Larval Ecology of Marine Invertebrates; Molluscan Shell Structure and Mineralogy; Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture

Short History

Richard A. Lutz received his B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1971, his Ph.D. from the University of Maine in 1975 and subsequently spent several years as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University. In 1979, he joined the faculty of Rutgers University, where he currently is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Marine & Coastal Sciences and Director of the Rutgers Center for Deep-Sea Ecology and Biotechnology. He served as Chairman of the Planning and Search Committee for Rutgers Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences (IMCS), which was created in 1987, and was Director of IMCS from 2011 until 2014, at which time IMCS was transformed into Rutgers new Institute of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences.

Teaching Efforts

Biology and Geology of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents

Janice McDonnell

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Two Page CV | 4-H Science | Polar Ice

Research Interests

Janice is currently serving as the Science Engineering & Technology Agent for the department of 4-H Youth Development at Rutgers University where she supports county 4-H Agents in promoting STEM in their communities. She hosts a variety of on-campus programs designed to engage young people in Rutgers University science and engineering programs. In addition, Janice helps university faculty to develop innovative and effective broader impact statements in accordance with NSF’s Criterion II. Scientists and Engineers are engaged in a wide variety of education and outreach initiatives designed to educate the public about STEM disciplines. Janice works with scientists to translate their research into educational products that can be used by K-16 students, teachers and the general public. Finally, Janice is interested in program evaluation and works with a range of external collaborators to conduct a range of program assessments.

Short History

Janice served as the Director for the National Science Foundation’s Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence Networked Ocean World (COSEE- NOW) 2002-2012, where the goal is to help scientists and educators work together to better understand and educate others about the ocean. Together with her colleagues and collaborators, she has developed a range of tools and professional development programs for both educators and scientists that help promote Ocean Literacy. More recently, Janice has been working on undergraduate education and promoting diversity in the ocean sciences.

Travis Miles

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Research Interests

I am a physical oceanographer interested in understanding how the atmosphere, cryosphere, earth, and ecosystems connect through the ocean across a broad range of temporal and spatial scales. To understand these connections I use and develop ocean observation networks that sample across spatial and temporal scales in combination with process oriented numerical modeling. I am involved with an array of multi-disciplinary projects that involve: 1) Rapid response Teledyne-Webb Slocum glider deployments ahead of coastal storms; 2) investigation of the ice-ocean interactions in the Amundsen Sea and 3) development of novel satellite products in support of wind resource estimates for coastal New Jersey.

Short History

I received my B.S. in Marine science and Meteorology from North Carolina State University (NCSU) in 2007. In 2009 I completed a Master’s in Physical Oceanography also at NCSU under the direction of Professor Ruoying He. I received my PhD from Rutgers University in 2014 studying sediment resuspension and transport during Nor’easters and Hurricanes, specifically Sandy in 2012. I am currently an Assistant Research Professor in the Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL).

Teaching Efforts

I currently co-teach Ocean Methods and Data Analysis, a hands on class that introduces undergraduates to oceanographic equipment and data processing techniques.

James Miller

Research Interests

My research is on global climate change with a particular emphasis on the hydrologic cycle, how it affects the climate system, and how it might change in the future in response to increasing greenhouse gases. My recent focus has been on the role of climate feedbacks on enhanced warming rates at high latitudes and high altitudes, including snow/albedo, water vapor, and cloud feedbacks. The regional focus has been on analysis of climate feedbacks in the Arctic region and in two high altitude regions–the Tibetan Plateau and the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. Combined with another focus on the impact of climate change on river flow, this work has implications for future water resources which are likely to be one of the major stressors on human civilization during the 21st century.

Short History

Prior to coming to Rutgers, I had postdoctoral appointments at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO and the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, where I began to work with global climate models. This work has continued to evolve toward trying to understand and quantify the impact of different climate feedbacks on enhanced warming rates in the Arctic and at high elevations. Climate change has also been incorporated into much of my teaching as a way of introducing students to the complex interactions within the earth system.

Teaching Efforts

My research provides context for all of my teaching, especially in my freshman seminar on water resources and climate change and in my upper level interdisciplinary course on earth system science.

Physical Oceanography (11:628:451; 16:712:501) (50%)
Remote Sensing of the Ocean and Atmosphere (11:670:451: 16:712:552) (30%)
Earth System Science Colloquium: Global Warming (11:015:401) (50%)
Byrne Seminar: Water Resources and Climate Change (11:090:101) (100%)

Daphne Munroe

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Research Interests

Increasing pressures on marine ecosystems, including climate change, resource exploitation, ocean acidification, and pollution threaten to create imbalances that will drive ecological change in the ocean. Sustainability of coastal and marine ecosystems, including both natural and social resilience, relies on understanding, predicting and adapting to these changes. To achieve sustainability we must first understand how ecosystems change: this is the motivation of my research. Larval dispersal dynamics and population connectivity are the primary vehicles for change in marine populations. The ways in which populations are connected determines how populations shift in response to climate or anthropological pressure, how evolution occurs, how effective restoration efforts can be, and how society can sustainably harvest marine resources. In my laboratory, I study these complex interactions using economically and ecologically important coastal invertebrate species.

Short History

I came to Rutgers from colder, more northern climes. The Canadian west coast, where I grew up, is also where I did my undergraduate and graduate training. I was fortunate to be awarded a JSPS postdoctoral fellowship that allowed me to conduct research in Northern Japan.

Teaching Efforts

Undergrad
11:628:125:90 Exploring the World’s Oceans
Byrne Seminar: Oysters Then and Now: Revolutionary Seafood Research at Rutgers

Graduate
co-teaching Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management Seminar

Select Publications

Munroe, D.M., Powell, E.N., Ford, S.E., Hofmann, E.E., Klinck, J.M. 2015. Consequences of asymmetric selection pressure and larval dispersal on the evolution of disease resistance: a metapopulation modeling study with oysters. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. doi:10.3354/meps11349

Narváez, D., D. Munroe, E. Hofmann, J. Klinck, E. Powell, R. Mann, and E. Curchitser. 2015. Long-term dynamics in Atlantic surfclam (Spisula solidissima) populations: The role of bottom water temperature. J. Mar. Sys. 141: 136-148. http://dx.doi:10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.08.007

Powell, E. N., J. M. Klinck, D. M. Munroe, E. E. Hofmann, P. Moreno, and R. Mann. 2015. The Value of Captains’ Behavioral Choices in the Success of the Surfclam (Spisula solidissima) Fishery on the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Coast: a Model Evaluation. J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci., 47: 1–27. http://journal.nafo.int/47/47.html

Zhang, P., Haidvogel, D., Powell, E., Klinck, J., Mann, R., Castruccio, F., Munroe, D. 2015. A coupled physical and biological model of larval connectivity in Atlantic surfclams along the Middle Atlantic Bight. Part I: Model development and description. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Sci. 153: 38-53. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2014.11.033

Munroe, D, J M. Klinck, E E. Hofmann & E N. Powell 2014. A modelling study of the role of marine protected areas in metapopulation genetic connectivity in Delaware Bay oysters. Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 24: 645–666. DOI/10.1002/aqc.2400

Munroe, D., J. Klinck, E. Hofmann, and E.N. Powell. 2013. How do shellfisheries influence genetic connectivity in metapopulations? A modeling study examining the role of lower size limits in oyster fisheries. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 70(12): 1813-1828,

Munroe, D.M., E.N. Powell, R. Mann, J.M. Klinck, and E.E. Hofmann. 2013. Underestimation of primary productivity on continental shelves: evidence from maximum size of extant surfclam (Spisula solidissima) populations. Fisheries Oceanography, 22: 220–233. doi: 10.1111/fog.12016.

Munroe, D., A. Tabatabai, I. Burt, D. Bushek, E. N.Powell & J. Wilkin. 2013. Oyster mortality in Delaware Bay: Impacts and recovery from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 135:209-219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2013.10.011.

Fiorella Prada

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Research Interests

My research focuses on how marine calcifying organisms, like corals and mollusks, build their biomineralized structures and how this process is influenced by shifting ocean conditions. I study these processes by integrating material science, molecular, and physiological approaches to identify mechanisms underlying coral resilience and persistence in extreme environments (e.g., CO₂ vents, deep-sea, upwelling systems).

Danielle Santiago Ramos

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Research Interests

Most broadly, my work has always been guided by a desire to understand the mechanisms behind the persistent habitability that has characterized Earth’s climate for approximately 4 billion years. While it is known that silicate weathering plays an important role in Earth’s long-term climate regulation, some aspects of this feedback are still unclear. For example, to what extent has the alteration of oceanic crust contributed to global silicate weathering rates through time? What is the role of secondary silicate minerals (a product of silicate weathering) in the global carbon cycle? And how have these processes contributed to the observed changes in ocean chemistry over the last ~ 60 million years? To address these and other related questions, I investigate fluid, sediment, and rock archives through a combination of mineralogical data, numerical models, and measurements of stable and radiogenic isotopes. In addition to my core research on the links between global carbon cycle, climate, and ocean chemistry, I am also interested in the application of geochemical tools to environmental science (e.g., the influence of human activities on river chemistry), environmental justice (e.g., fingerprinting sources of contaminants to drinking water), and biology (e.g., osmotic regulation in plant and animal cells).

Short History

I am originally from Recife, a coastal city in the northeast of Brazil with a rich and vibrant culture. Following a short stint as a History major at home, I left Brazil in 2009 to pursue a college degree in Amherst College, MA, where I was exposed to and fell in love with the Earth Sciences. After graduating with a B.A. in Geology in 2013, I joined the Geosciences Ph.D. program at Princeton University under the mentorship of Dr. John Higgins. In 2019, I moved back to MA as a postdoctoral scholar to work with Dr. Sune Nielsen in WHOI’s Geology & Geophysics Department. Before joining the faculty at Rutgers in early 2022, I worked as a Lecturer in the Princeton Geosciences Department in Fall 2021.

Luis Fernando Pareja Roman

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Research Interests

I am a physical oceanographer with a background in engineering and meteorology. I am interested in coastal ocean dynamics and air-sea interaction (marine meteorology), mainly based on coupled numerical models of weather, ocean circulation, and waves. I enjoy applying fundamental principles of fluid mechanics to address problems that have a strong anthropogenic component such as infrastructure and clean energy development. At RUCOOL, I study the impact of offshore wind farms in the structure of oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers.

Short History

I grew up in the Caribbean, in Cartagena, Colombia, which set me up for a life around the ocean. I received my B.S. in Environmental Engineering at Universidad de los Andes, a M.S. in Marine Meteorology at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and a Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography at Rutgers University. In between programs, I was a visiting scientist in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at CICESE, Mexico, and at the Russian State Hydromet University in St. Petersburg, Russia. I worked as a postdoc in Ocean Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, and in Ocean Dynamics at Rutgers. I joined RUCOOL in fall 2021.

Select Publications

Pareja-Roman, L. F., Chant, R. J., & Ralston, D. K. (2019). Effects of Locally Generated Wind Waves on the Momentum Budget and Subtidal Exchange in a Coastal Plain Estuary. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124(2), 1005-1028. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014585

Pareja-Roman, L. F., Chant, R. J., & Sommerfield, C. K. (2020). Impact of Historical Channel Deepening on Tidal Hydraulics in the Delaware Estuary Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 125(12), e2020JC016256. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC016256

Li, L., Zhu, J., Chant, R. J., Wang, C., & Pareja-Roman, L. F. (2020). Effect of Dikes on Saltwater Intrusion Under Various Wind Conditions in the Changjiang Estuary. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 125(7), e2019JC015685. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015685

Li, L., Zhu, J., & Pareja-Roman, L. F. (2021). Calculating salinity variance fluxes using isohaline coordinates. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 254, 107311. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107311

Yair Rosenthal

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Full CV | Two Page CV | Publications | Google Citations

Research Interests

The overarching motivation for my research is to document past changes in Earth climate change and understand the mechanisms behind them. As the ocean plays a key role in climate, a full understanding of the complexity of past climate change requires thorough knowledge of variations in ocean hydrography (e.g., seawater temperature, salinity and heat content) and circulation through time. Throughout my career, I have endeavored to develop new geochemical proxies that offer quantitative information of past ocean properties to develop the capability for rigorous paleoceanographic reconstructions in a similar manner to that conducted with modern data.

Short History

I was born and grew up in Israel. In 1985 I graduated from the Hebrew University, majoring in geology and biology and later received a M.Sc. degree in geochemistry. During these years I also led adventure tours to Nepal, Kenya, Iceland and Egypt. In 1988 I moved to the U.S. where I received a Ph.D. degree from the MIT/ WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography in 1994 with Prof. Ed Boyle as my principal advisor. As a post-doctoral fellow I worked the Biosphere II Center in Arizona studying the effects of CO2 fertilization on ecosystem photosynthesis. Since 1997 I have been at Rutgers, The University of New Jersey as a faculty in the of Departments of Marine Sciences and Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Teaching Efforts

Chemical Oceanography (Graduate course)
Paleoceanography (Graduate course)
The Water Planet (Undergraduate course)

Grace Saba

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Full CV | Two Page CV | Saba Research Group

Research Interests

I initiate diverse, multidisciplinary projects in order to address both small-scale (individual organism) and large-scale (whole ecosystem) questions with ecological, physiological, and biogeochemical implications. My broad research interests are in the fields of coastal marine organismal ecology and physiology, with emphasis on how organisms interact with their environment (physical-biological coupling) and other organisms (food web dynamics and predator-prey interactions), how physiological processes impact biogeochemistry (nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration), and how climate change (i.e., ocean acidification, warming) impacts these processes. I apply multiple techniques and collaborate with physical/biological/chemical oceanographers and physiologists, molecular ecologists, fisheries scientists, ocean observers, and climate modelers. I employ an integrative, mechanistic approach and have strong laboratory and field components in my research.

Short History

I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Aquatic Biology in 2002 from the University of California Santa Barbara, then received my Ph.D. in Marine Science in 2010 from the College of William & Mary at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. I was a post doctoral research associate at Rutgers University from 2010-2012, was promoted to Assistant Research Professor in 2012, and to tenure-track Assistant Professor in 2015.

Teaching Efforts

Oscar Schofield

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Research Interests

I am a biological oceanographer interested how the physics and chemistry regulates ocean ecosystems, with a primary research focus on the physiology and ecology of phytoplankton. My research is conducted in a range of oceans from the rapidly warming/melting along the West Antarctic Peninsula to sustained studies along the northeast United States. Additionally I am part of the Center of Ocean Observing Leadership (COOL), which is focused on developing new technologies and ocean sensor networks to better document and model the marine system. The COOL group has, and continues, to innovate a range of technologies spanning from remote sensing, radars, and autonomous underwater robotics. Our research efforts are coupled to an extensive public outreach effort focused on communicating the excitement and adventure of conducting science in the field. These outreach efforts have been anchored by extensive web services, teacher training and full length feature movies.

Short History

I grew up swimming, fishing, diving and surfing in Southern California. I decided to pursue a degree in biology and marine science and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara for my undergraduate and PhD where I conducted research on photosynthesis and environmental impacts of the Antarctic ozone hole. I then joined the Agricultural Research Service in New Orleans conducting research in aquaculture and microbial production of off-flavor metabolites before I joined Rutgers in 1995.

Teaching Efforts

Ocean Observatories (a research course focused on student conducting research with live data from the sea, taught both Fall and Spring terms)
Oceanographic Methods and Data Analysis (course focused on the collection and analysis of physical, optical, and biological data in aquatic systems, taught spring term)
Oceanography House (course open to first term freshmen to introduce them to thriving in a research University by exposing them to ocean adventure)
Biological Oceanography: Planktontic Ecosystems (course focused physiology, ecology, and biogeochemistry of planktonic ecosystems and their role in shaping the ecology of the ocean and Earth, this course will be offered in Fall terms)

Foundations of Our Nation: Liberty State Park and the Hudson River Estuary

Corday Selden

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RESEARCH INTERESTS

Microbes mediate the flow of energy and matter through the Earth system. In the ocean, diverse microbial communities repartition key elements (and their isotopes) among different chemical phases, altering the fate and fluxes of this material. In so doing, these tiny wonders profoundly influence Earth’s geochemical cycles and climate, shaping planetary habitability.

My research group, the Rutgers Marine Biogeochemistry Lab (RUMBL), investigates feedbacks between ocean chemistry and microbial metabolism that affect Earth system stability. Our work focuses on

(1) how microbes reshape nutrient landscapes in response to (climate-driven) shifts in ocean chemistry/physics (biogeochemical feedbacks), and

(2) how these changes affect distribution of carbon in Earth’s reservoirs (climate feedbacks).

Wedding field-based observations, laboratory experiments, and computational methods, our analytical toolkit includes elemental and stable isotope analyses (nitrogen, carbon, and bioactive transition metals) and ‘omics approaches.

Current projects include:

Does ocean warming reduce iron demand in Southern Ocean phytoplankton? The Southern Ocean is a major sink for atmospheric carbon due to biologically-mediated export (Huang et al. 2023 PNAS). Following observations made on the HMS Discovery in Dec 2023-Jan 2024 (Selden et al., in prep.), this project investigates the hypothesis that, by increasing the efficiency of key iron-containing enzymes (e.g., in photosynthesis and nitrogen acquisition pathways), warming will increase iron use efficiency of iron-limited and cold-adapted phytoplankton, with important consequences for the Southern Ocean biological carbon pump. Preliminary results presented by summer REU students Dylan Buchmiller (TAMU-G) and Karina Lai (UW) at Ocean Sciences Meeting, February 2026.

How will climate-driven shifts in regional circulation alter diffusive mixing and new nitrogen supply/utilization in the tropical Atlantic Ocean? The availability of nitrogen limits ecosystem productivity across vast swaths of the surface ocean, constraining potential carbon export and thus CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and deep sea. In collaboration with Dr. Joe Gradone (Rutgers), this project will investigate: (1) the relationship between basin-scale changes in salinity and the occurrence of salt fingering, a diffusive process which drives water mass mixing more efficiently than mechanical turbulence, (2) the contribution of nitrate fluxes driven by salt fingering to nitrogen supply and “new” primary production, and (3) its impact on upper ocean ecosystem structure. Field campaign supported by grant from the Schmidt Ocean Institute and scheduled for August 2026.

Can new AI tools to predict protein structure from sequence elucidate metal requirements and chemical form in marine phytoplankton? Most metabolic processes are driven by enzymes which contain metal co-factors, meaning that the availability of key metals (e.g., iron, zinc, copper) to a microbial community affects its biogeochemical and ecological function. However, directly assessing metal demand, quotas, and chemical speciation in marine environments is analytically challenging and expensive. In collaboration with Drs. Nathan Yee and John Reinfelder (Rutgers) and Dr. Bhoopesh Mishra (IIT), this project aims to use cutting edge artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to predict the occurrence and structure of protein metal-binding sites from ‘omics data, and will test the utility of these tools in phytoplankton cultures against state-of-the-art spectroscopy measurements. Funded by NSF-EAR-GG grant starting September 2025.

I AM CURRENTLY RECRUITING STUDENTS! Please reach out to me by e-mail (crselden@marine.rutgers.edu) if you are interested in discussing opportunities with RUMBL.

Silke Severmann

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Research Interests

I often describe my research interests as being stuck between a rock and a wet place: My starting point are the sediments at the interface between the water column above and the geological archive below. I want to understand how geochemical proxies are formed and preserved, and how we can read and interpret them – think CSI Terra Oceana. I want to know what goes into the sediments, but also how macro and micronutrients get recycled back into the water column, feeding the surface ocean from deep below. Oxygen is often the gate keeper of these nutrient fluxes in and out of the sediments. Generally speaking, the amount of oxygen present is regulated by biology and by the physical environment, especially temperature. Transition metals and their isotopes are particularly well suited to track changes in the amount of oxygen in the environment because their solubility is a function of ambient oxygen concentrations. Ultimately what I want to know is how changes in the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and metals are affected by—or have an effect on—the biological evolution and on changes in the physical environment, including the climate.

Short History

I did my undergrad degree in Germany studying Geography, but it was during a year abroad at Edinburgh University that I discovered my love for Geochemistry and Earth Sciences. This experience inspired me to change course and to complete an M.Sc. in Oceanography and eventually a Ph.D. in Geochemistry, both with Rachel Mills at the newly opened Southampton Oceanography Center, UK. From there I moved to the USA, first for a postdoc with Clark Johnson in Madison WI, then another postdoc with Tim Lyons at UC Riverside, before I eventually landed a faculty position at Rutgers.

Teaching Efforts

Undergraduate/Graduate

Introduction to Oceanography (01:460:120:01; 11:628:120:01)
Chemical Oceanography (11:628:472, 16:712:540)
Professional Science Writing and Presentation (16:712:595; 9:15-12:15)
History of Earth Systems (01:460:476:01) – regular guest lectures
Advanced Inorganic Geochemistry (16:712:697; 16:460:621)

Select Publications

Scholz F., Severmann S., McManus J. and Hensen C., Beyond the Black Sea paradigm: The sedimentary fingerprint of an open-marine iron shuttle (2014), Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 127, 368-380. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2013.11.041

Eckert S., Brumsack H.-J., Severmann S., Schnetger B., März C., and Fröllje H. (2013) Establishment of euxinic conditions in the Holocene Black Sea. Geology 41, 431-434. http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/g33826.1

Homoky W.B., Severmann S., McManus J., Berelson W.M., Riedel T.E., Statham P.J., Mills R.A. (2012) Dissolved oxygen and suspended particles regulate the benthic flux of iron from continental margins. Mar. Chem. 134−135, 59-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2012.03.003

Owens J., Lyons T.W., Li X., Gordon, G., Kuypers M.M.M., Anbar A.D., Kuhnt W., and Severmann S. (2012) Iron isotope and trace metal records of iron cycling in the proto-North Atlantic during the Cenomanian-Turonian oceanic anoxic event (OAE-2), Paleoceanography 27, PA3223, doi:10.1029/2012PA002328.

Severmann S., McManus J., Berelson W.M. and Hammond D.E. (2010) The continental shelf benthic iron flux and its isotope composition. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 74, 3984-4004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2010.04.022

Severmann S., Johnson C.M., Beard B.L. and McManus J. (2006) The effect of early diagenesis on the Fe isotope compositions of porewaters and authigenic minerals in continental margin sediments. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 70, 2006-2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2006.01.007

Lyons T.W. and Severmann S. (2006) A critical look at the iron paleoredox proxies based on new insights from modern euxinic marine basins. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 70, 5698-5722. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2006.08.021
McManus J., Hammond D.E., Severmann S., Berelson W.M., Holm C., and Klinkhammer G.P. (2006) Molybdenum geochemistry in suboxic continental margin settings: Comparisons and contrasts with uranium. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 70, 4643-4662. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2006.06.1564

Severmann S., Johnson C.M., Beard B.L., German C.R., Edmonds H.N., Chiba H. and Green D.R.H. (2004a) The effect of plume processes on the Fe-isotope composition of hydrothermally derived Fe in the deep ocean as inferred from the Rainbow vent site, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 36º14’N. Earth Planet. Sci. Let. 225, 63-76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2004.06.001

Rob Sherrell

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Research Interests

The Sherrell lab studies the biogeochemistry of trace metals in the modern ocean and uses this understanding to develop new geochemical paleo-records of past ocean conditions. We are helping to increase the general knowledge of the distribution and dynamics of trace metals and isotopes in the ocean through the international GEOTRACES program (geotraces.org), and recently completed GEOTRACES cruises in the tropical South Pacific and in the Arctic Ocean. We are very interested in metals that act as micro-nutrients for phytoplankton, and have active research programs exploring the mechanisms of natural Fe fertilization of ocean productivity in two shelf regions off west Antarctica. In addition, we are developing new geochemical paleo-proxies in tropical and deep-sea corals and are using these to develop histories of nutrients and the carbonate system of the past ocean. Part of this work involves long-term culturing studies with slow-growing deep corals to determine coral skeleton chemistry as a function of tightly controlled seawater chemistry; this work is being carried out in Barcelona. We are also pursuing high-resolution paleo-climate results by determining minor elements and isotopes in an 83,000 year old stalagmite from a cave on the SW Pacific island of Niue, with the goal of reconstructing rainfall at this site and unraveling its relationship to polar and global climate variations. Periodically, we make measurements of iridium and other platinum group metals in sediment sections that cross major extinction events in earth’s history, as part of an effort to determine the role of major extraterrestrial impacts. We are very active in developing analytical techniques using plasma source mass spectrometry, which are applied to all of these research endeavors.

Short History

I got my BA in Chemistry at the small land-locked Oberlin College, got my first job in science working on glucose transport in red blood cells, then got a technician position in Oceanography for 2 years, and got admitted to the MIT-WHOI Joint program in Oceanography. After a postdoc working on ice core chemistry in Greenland, I move to a faculty position at Rutgers, where I have been since 1992.

Teaching Efforts

Undergraduate (includes some courses I will teach in the coming year)
Introduction to Oceanography
Exploration of the Oceans
Environmental Geochemistry
Water Planet
Oceanographic Methods and Data Analysis

Graduate
Chemical Oceanography
Seminar in Marine Isotope Geochemistry
The Antarctic: Ocean, Ice, Climate, Biota
Marine Biogeochemistry

Elisabeth Sikes

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Research Interests

The unifying theme in my work is carbon cycling. As a paleoceanographer, I am investigating circulation in the Southern Ocean to determine how this traps and releases CO₂ from the deep ocean on glacial time scales. I also investigate past sea surface temperature changes in the oceans around New Zealand and Australia. On shorter timescales, I am investigating sources, pathways, and sinks of both terrestrial and marine carbon in modern environments with an eye to their interaction with coastal ocean acidification. To do this, I employ isotopic (δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O, and ¹⁴C) and organic (biomarker, U^k₃₇) geochemical techniques to answer these questions of sea surface temperature and global circulation change.

Teaching Efforts

Chemical Oceanography
Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems
Oceanography seminar
Earth System Science Coloquium: Global Warming course # 11:015:401:01

Kim Thamatrakoln

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Research Interests

Trained as a molecular and cell biologist, my research focuses on characterizing the underlying molecular mechanisms that have contributed to the ecological success of phytoplankton. Despite representing <1% of the Earth’s biomass, this microscopic slice of the planet contributes nearly 50% of global primary productivity and plays a role in nearly every major biogeochemical cycle including carbon, nitrogen, and silicon. To understand how these organisms will respond to future predicted changes in the ocean, we need to understand the molecular and biochemical mechanisms that govern their physiological responses. My research combines molecular, biochemical, and biophysical techniques with large scale genomic and transcriptomic studies to answer fundamental questions about the physiology and functional ecology of this globally important group of organisms. Using laboratory model systems of diatoms and coccolithophores, we seek to understand how these organisms respond to environmental stress (e.g. light and nutrient availability, viral infection) and the factors that control their growth and productivity. We then extend these culture-based observations to natural populations on oceanographic research cruises using observational and deck-board manipulative studies.

Short History

I grew up in California and received my B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego. My first introduction to academic research was as an undergraduate in a Developmental Neurobiology lab at the Salk Institute. After college, I got a job at a biotech company involved in sequencing the first human genome. After 3 months, I realized I preferred the challenge of academic research and the freedom and creativity it allowed. I then got a job as a Research Associate in an Immunology lab at Stanford University where I conducted HIV-related research. I discovered a love for research, but wanted to apply the skills and knowledge I acquired in the biomedical field to an environmentally-related one. After completing a non-thesis driven Master’s in Biology at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station, I went on to the PhD program in Marine Biology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Teaching Efforts

I teach a fully online, asynchronous course call Science, Pseudoscience and Society, which explores how science has influenced society and how we distinguish science from pseudoscience. It debuted in Spring 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic but couldn’t have been more timely. I have also served as an undergraduate faculty advisor to students enrolled in the G.H. Cook Honors, the Research in Ocean Sciences, and the Aresty Research programs.

Selected Publications

Maniscalco M, MA Brzezinski, RH Lampe, NR Cohen, HM McNair, KA Ellis, M Brown, CP Till, BS Twining, KW Bruland, A Marchetti, and K Thamatrakoln. (2022) “Diminished carbon and nitrate assimilation drive changes in diatom elemental stoichiometry independent of silicification in an iron limited assemblage” ISME Communications https://doi.org/10.1038/s43705-022-00136-1

Locke H, KD Bidle, K Thamatrakoln, CT Johns, JA Bonachela, BD Ferrell, KE Wommack (2022). “Marine viruses and climate change: Virioplankton, the carbon cycle, and our future ocean” in Advances in Virus Research, Ed MJ Roossinck, Academic Press (Cambridge, MA), Vol 114: 67-146 https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aivir.2022.09.001.

Arsenieff L, K Kimura, CF Kranzler, A-C Baudoux, K Thamatrakoln (2022). “Diatom Viruses” in The Molecular Life of Diatoms, Eds A Falciatore and T Mock, Springer Nature (London, England)

Kranzler CF, MA Brzezinski, NR Cohen, RH Lampe, M Maniscalco*, CP Till, J Mack*, JR Latham*, BS Twining, A Marchetti, and K Thamatrakoln (2021) “Impaired viral infection and reduced mortality of diatoms in iron limited oceanic regions” Nature Geosciences 14:231-237 doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00711-6

Berges JA, Young E, K Thamatrakoln, AR Taylor (2021). “From Genes to Ecosystems: using molecular information from diatoms to understand ecological processes” in Advances in Phytoplankton Ecology: applications of emerging technologies, Eds L Clementson, R Eriksen, and A Willis, Elsevier (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Kranzler C, JW Krause, MA Brzezinski, BR Edwards, WP Biggs*, M Maniscalco*, JP McCrow , BAS Van Mooy, KD Bidle, AE Allen, and K Thamatrakoln (2019) “Silicon limitation facilitates virus infection and mortality of marine diatoms” Nature Microbiology 4:1790–1797

Natalie Umling

Research Interests

The aim of my research is to put modern climate change in the lens of the past by studying recent abrupt climate change and abrupt changes during the transition between glacial and interglacial periods. Specifically, how has ocean circulation and chemistry changed from pre-industrial conditions and during the more rapid climate events that overprint the glacial-interglacial periods of the Pleistocene. By documenting the oceanic changes that have occurred during both modern and past rapid climate events, my research provides clues to the oceanic role in both driving and responding to a changing climate.

Costantino Vetriani

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Research Interests

Research in my laboratory is focused on the physiology, ecology and evolution of prokaryotes that inhabit geothermal environments. The overarching objective of my research revolves on the question: “how did microbial metabolism evolve?” Anaerobic, thermophilic Bacteria and Archaea that inhabit deep-sea geothermal environments and make a living off volcanic gases carry both ancestral and more recently acquired traits (genes and enzymes) and can be used as models to reconstruct early metabolism. In my laboratory we devote a considerable effort to “domesticate” some of the most fascinating organisms on our planet, and to use them as models to understand the evolution of early metabolism and the adaptations to environments that resemble the early Earth.

Short History

Costa Vetriani is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and a member of the Institute of Institute of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, and the director of the Microbiology Undergraduate Program at Rutgers University. He began his research activity in a clinical microbiology lab and, as a PhD student, he was trained as a prokaryotic molecular geneticist. Since 1996 Costa Vetriani participated either as research or chief scientist in over 20 oceanographic expeditions in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and in the Mediterranean Sea, and dove in the Deep-Submergence Vehicle Alvin many times. Costa Vetriani is a passionate SCUBA diver and underwater photographer. For more information about Costa Vetriani’s research, visit the Deep-Sea Microbiology Lab website.

Teaching Efforts

Undergraduate

General Microbiology 11:680:390
Seminar in Microbiology 11:680:645

Graduate

Microbial Life 16:682:501

John Wilkin

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Research Interests

• High-resolution regional modeling of the coastal ocean for applications related to coupled physical/ecosystem/bio-optical processes, including analysis and evaluation using satellite and in situ observations
• Real-time ocean forecast system development
• Applications of satellite radar altimetry in coastal regions
• Variational methods for assimilating coastal observing system data in models, and observing system design
• High resolution nested modeling of interactions between estuary, shelf sea and deep ocean circulation
• Estuary and coastal ocean carbon and nitrogen cycling
• Coastal ocean air-sea interaction, waves, and sediment transport

Short History

John Wilkin has 25 years of international experience (U.S., Australia and New Zealand) developing and applying model-based analysis systems for interdisciplinary research (nutrient and carbon cycling; larval dispersal; ocean forecasting) in coastal and adjacent shelf and boundary current waters. Most recently, these projects emphasize using variational methods for assimilation of in situ and remotely sensed observations and the design of observing networks. He is a developer of the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) and co-convenes the annual ROMS User Workshops.

Wilkin is a member of NASA’s Ocean Surface Topography Science Team (OSTST) and is active in promoting uses of radar altimetry in the coastal ocean. He represents OSTST on the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) Science Team (GOVST). Wilkin also co-chairs the User Working Group for NASA’s Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO-DAAC), and is a member of the Ocean Observing panel for Physics and Climate (OOPC) of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS).

Teaching Efforts

Undergraduate/Graduate

Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems
Coastal Ocean Dynamics
Remote Sensing of the Ocean and Atmosphere
Geospatial Data Analysis

Outreach

John Wilkin has lectured in international summer schools in France and Australia that train students and early career scientists on developments in modern coastal ocean observing systems and the interface between observing, modeling and ecosystems. He is a regular member of the Scientific Program Committee of the Coastal Altimetry Workshops that accompany meetings of NASA’s Ocean Surface Topography Science Team, and was chair of the 2015 Gordon Research Conference on Coastal Ocean Modeling. Wilkin has promoted international development and collaboration in applied coastal ocean modeling by co-convening more than 10 Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) User Workshops in the US, Italy, Spain, Australia, France, Brazil and Croatia, and is a regular contributor to the online ROMS User Forum.

Select Publications

Kourafalou, V., P. De Mey, M. Le Hénaff, G. Charria, C. Edwards, R. He, M. Herzfeld, A. Pascual, E. Stanev, J. Tintoré, N. Usui, A. van der Westhuysen, J. Wilkin, X. Zhu, (2015), Coastal Ocean Forecasting: system integration and evaluation, Journal of Operational Oceanography, 8:sup1, s127-s146, doi:10.1080/1755876X.2015.1022336.

Munroe, D., A. Tabatabai, I. Burt, D. Bushek, E.N. Powell and J. Wilkin (2013), Oyster mortality in Delaware Bay: Impacts and recovery from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 135, 209-219, doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2013.10.011

Wilkin, J., and E. Hunter (2013), An assessment of the skill of real-time models of Middle Atlantic Bight continental shelf circulation, J. Geophy. Res. – Oceans, 118, doi:10.1002/jgrc.20223.

Zavala-Garay, J., J. Wilkin and H. Arango (2012), Predictability of mesoscale variability in the East Australia Current given strong-constraint data assimilation, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 42, 1402-1420, doi:1410.1175/JPO-D-1411-0168.1401.

Hu, J., K. Fennel, J. P. Mattern, and J. Wilkin (2012), Data assimilation with a local Ensemble Kalman Filter applied to a three-dimensional biological model of the Middle Atlantic Bight, Journal of Marine Systems, 94, 145-156, doi: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2011.11.016.

Wilkin, J., and A. G. Jeffs (2011), Energetics of swimming to shore in the puerulus stage of a spiny lobster: Can a lobster post-larva afford the cost of crossing the continental shelf? Limnology and Oceanography Environment and Fluids, 1, 163-175, doi: 10.1215/21573698-1504363.

Renault, L., G. Vizoso, A. Jansa, J. Wilkin and J. Tintoré (2011), Toward the predictability of meteo-tsunamis in the Balearic Sea using coupled Atmosphere-Ocean Modeling, Geophysical Research Letters, 38, L10601, doi: 10.1029/2011GL047361.

Hofmann, E. E., B. Cahill, K. Fennel, M. Friedrichs, K. Hyde, C. Lee, A. Mannino, R. Najjar, J. O’Reilly, J. Wilkin and J. Xue (2010), Modeling the Dynamics of Continental Shelf Carbon, Annual Review of Marine Science, 3, 93-122, doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-120709-142740.

Zhang, W., J. Wilkin and J. Levin (2010), Towards an integrated observation and modeling system in the New York Bight using variational methods, Part II: Representer-based observing system design, Ocean Modelling, 35, 134-145, 10.1016/j.ocemod.2010.06.006.

Fennel, K., and J. Wilkin (2009), Quantifying biological carbon export for the northwest North Atlantic continental shelves, Geophysical Research Letters, 36, L18605, doi: 10.1029/2009GL039818

Cahill, B., O. Schofield, R. Chant, J. Wilkin, E. Hunter, S. Glenn, and P. Bissett (2008), Dynamics of turbid buoyant plumes and the feedbacks on near-shore biogeochemistry and physics, Geophysical Research Letters, 35, L10605, doi: 10.1029/2008GL033595.

Javier Zavala-Garay

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Research Interests

• Predictability of dynamical systems
• High-resolution regional modeling and data assimilation
• Use of variational methods for the study of ocean sensitivity, ensemble prediction, and data assimilation in ocean models.
• Real-time ocean forecasting
• Coupled ocean-atmosphere models
• ENSO prediction and predictability

Short History

I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder under the advise of Drs. Andrew M. Moore and Peter Webster, defending the thesis “ENSO Prediction and Predictability”. Since then, I have been mostly interested in understanding why dynamical systems, such as the ocean or the coupled ocean-atmosphere systems, are sometimes more predictable than others. I use numerical models, observations, and the principles of variational calculus to gain a deeper understudying of why this is the case. As a natural extension to this driving question, I also have developed and applied practical methodologies to improve ocean prediction using numerical models and data-assimilation.