Principal Investigator:
Ryan William Paerl
@SeaStoriesRP
I am a native of eastern North Carolina (Beaufort, NC) with a broad interest in marine and aquatic sciences. My expertise is in microbiology with strong interest in biogeochemistry, ecology, and physiology of microbial populations.
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Current Graduate Students:
Nathaniel Curtis
While all cells need thiamin (vitamin B1), many marine microorganisms are auxotrophs, meaning they do not make their own B1 and instead rely on the presence of the vitamin in the surrounding water. I use fluorescence, flow cytometry, and proteomic analysis to understand how auxotrophic picoplankton respond to concentrations of vitamin B1 and thiamin precursors found in marine environments. I also seek to understand how the exchange and modification of thiamin and its derivatives shape microbial communities in the ocean.
Joel Sanchez
Joel is a Panamanian biologist with an undergraduate degree from the University of Panama and MSc from Latin University of Panama. Joel has a background in marine microbiology and bioprospecting. He is a IFARHU-SENACYT Fellow; sponsored by the Panamanian Government. His research interests include Cyanobacteria diversity along spatial-time scales in the Neuse River Estuary, Cyanobacteria dynamics and disturbances caused by natural events (storms and hurricanes), and biotechnological applications of Cyanobacteria functional diversity (enzymes and anti-microbial compounds).
Hwa Huang
My interests in cyanobacteria began with my time as a research fellow at the US EPA mammalian toxicology lab, where I studied how exposure to freshwater algal toxin, namely microcystin, will have adverse effect on mice livers. Currently, while I continue to pursue my research interest in cyanobacteria and algal toxin, I am delving more deeply into finding out environmental stressors are likely to induce cyanobacteria to produce metabolites, not just toxins, but other compounds such as geosmin and MIB. To answer these questions, I will be performing metagenomic analyses, flow cytometry, and culturing of isolates that may be responsible for producing toxins as well as taste and odor compounds.
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Current Undergraduate Students:
David Polling
Tess Kelly
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Lab Alums:
Rebecca Venezia – MS Graduate Student
Jared Mathewson – Undergraduate researcher
Jo Hines – Undergraduate researcher
Valerie Dong – Undergraduate researcher
Iliana Claudio – Undergraduate researcher
Kaylee Ransdell – Undergraduate researcher