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Marine Science Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Environmental chemical analysis method optimization and application to northwest Cuban marine sediment , Thea R. Bartlett

Exploring the Impact of Eddies on Southern Ocean Biogeochemical Structure using BGC-Argo Float Observations , Nicola J. Guisewhite

Meta-Analysis of United States Seabird Populations Based on Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) Records (1965–2018) , Savannah Hartman

Stable Isotopic Investigation of the Hydrological Cycle of West-Central Florida , Toedsit Netratanawong

Examining paleoshorelines in the eastern Gulf of Mexico: Insights on sea level history and potential areas of interest for habitat management , Catalina Rubiano

Stable Isotope Analysis on Yellowfin and Blackfin Tuna Eye Lenses Reveals Life History Patterns in the Gulf of Mexico , Kylee M. Rullo

Stable Isotope Analysis of Doryteuthis (Amerigo) pealeii Eye Lenses to Determine Migratory Patterns in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Using Statoliths for Age Determination , Hannah M. Schwaiger

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

The effects of temperature and oxygen availability on aerobic performance in three coastal shark species; Squalus acanthias, Carcharhinus limbatus, and Carcharhinus leucas , Alyssa M. Andres

Continuous Effort Required to Maintain Populations of Outplanted Acropora cervicornis in the Florida Reef Tract, USA , Tiffany S. Boisvert

Elucidating the Sources Supplying Aerosol Iron, Zinc, and Cadmium to the Surface of the North Pacific Ocean with Stable Isotopes , Zach B. Bunnell

Quantifying Environmental Sensitivity of Marine Resources to Oil Well Blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico , Emily Chancellor

Zooplankton Biodiversity in the Northeast Gulf of Mexico and on the West Florida Shelf from 2005 - 2014 , Megan Ferguson

Coupling 210 Pb and 14 C to constrain carbon burial efficiency of blue carbon ecosystems , Tynisha R. Martin

Empirical and Modeled δ13C and δ15N Isoscapes in the Gulf of Mexico and their Application to Fish Eye Lens Migration Studies , Brianna Michaud

Interactions between juvenile estuary-dependent fishes and microalgal dynamics , Ian C. Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Metabolic Rate, Critical Oxygen Partial Pressure, and Oxygen Supply Capacity of Farfantepenaeus duorarum at their Lower Thermal Limit , Alexandra L. Burns

From River to Sea: Improving Carbon System Measurement Methods for use in Rivers, Estuaries, and Oceans , Ellie Hudson-Heck

Riverine and Estuarine CO2-System Studies on the West Coast of Florida , Christopher S. Moore

Past Ice-Ocean Interactions on the Sabrina Coast shelf, East Antarctica: Deglacial to Recent Paleoenvironmental Insights from Marine Sediments , Kara J. Vadman

Investigating the Recent History of a Changing Planet with Innovative Isotopic Techniques and New Geologic Archives , Ryan A. Venturelli

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Testing the Efficacy of Recompression Tools to Reduce the Discard Mortality of Reef Fishes in the Gulf of Mexico , Oscar E. Ayala

Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Organochlorine Pesticides, and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Snapper (Family Lutjanidae) from Cuba and the Wider Gulf of Mexico , Brigid E. Carr

A Health Evaluation of Gulf of Mexico Golden Tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) and Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill , Kristina Leigh Deak

A Process-based Approach to Evaluating the Role of Organic Ligands in Trace Metal Cycling in the Marine Environment , Travis Mellett

Investigation of Retention Versus Export of Planktonic Fish Eggs in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico , Bich Vi Viviane Nguyen

Development of a Benthic Foraminifera Based Marine Biotic Index (Foram-AMBI) for the Gulf of Mexico: a Decision Support Tool , Bryan O'Malley

Plio-Pleistocene Antarctic Ice-Ocean Interactions in the Ross Sea , Catherine Prunella

Mechanisms of Carbon Movement and Stabilization in Mangrove Wetlands , Carey Schafer

Hepatobiliary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Pelagic Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico , Madison R. Schwaab

Analytical Methods and Critical Analyses Supporting Thermodynamically Consistent Characterizations of the Marine CO 2 System , Jonathan D. Sharp

Large Thecosome Pteropods of the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Species Abundance, Spatial and Vertical Distribution With a Temporal Comparison of Shell Thickness , Sarah M. Shedler

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure, Hepatic Accumulation, and Associated Health Impacts in Gulf of Mexico Tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) , Susan M. Snyder

Investigating the Isotope Signatures of Dissolved Iron in the Southern Atlantic Ocean , Brent A. Summers

Modeling Early Life: Ontogenetic Growth and Behavior Affect Population Connectivity in Gulf of Mexico Marine Fish , Kelly Vasbinder

Isotope-Based Methods for Evaluating Fish Trophic Geographies , Julie L. Vecchio

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Use of Spectrofluorometry to Detect Petroleum Hydrocarbons in the Marine Environment , Mary Iris Abercrombie

Can Florida's Springs Coast provide a Potential Refuge for Calcifying Organisms? Evidence from Benthic Foraminifera , Kyle E. Amergian

Iron-Virus Interactions: Development and Testing of the Ferrojan Horse Hypothesis , Chelsea Bonnain

DNA Barcoding of Fish Eggs in the Gulf of Mexico , Makenzie Burrows

Ecological Responses of Seascape Heterogeneity , Dinorah H. Chacin

Species Abundance, Spatial and Vertical Distributionsof Large Heteropods (Pterotracheidae and Carinariidae)in the Northern Gulf of Mexico , Kristine A. Clark

Zooplankton Community Structure in the NE Gulf of Mexico: Impacts of Environmental Variability and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill , Kate M. Dubickas

Life History Through the Eyes of a Hogfish: Evidence of Trophic Growth and Differential Juvenile Habitat Use , Meaghan E. Faletti

Population Demographics of Golden Tilefish Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps in the Gulf of Mexico , Greta J. Helmueller

Regeneration of Trace Metals During Phytoplankton Decay: An Experimental Study , Adrienne P. Hollister

Estimating Coastal Water Turbidity Using VIIRS Nighttime Measurement , Chih-Wei Huang

Untapped Potential of Gorgonian Octocorals for Detecting Environmental Change in Biscayne National Park, Florida, USA , Selena A. Kupfner Johnson

High-Resolution Investigation of Event Driven Sedimentation: Response and Evolution of the Deepwater Horizon Blowout in the Sedimentary System , Rebekka A. Larson

Variations of Sedimentary Biogenic silica in the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon and IXTOC-I Oil Spill. , Jong Jin Lee

Variations of Global Ocean Salinity from Multiple Gridded Argo Products , Chao Liu

Fish Communities on Natural and Artificial Reefs in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico , Elizabeth C. Viau

Reconstructing Geographic and Trophic Histories of Fish Using Bulk and Compound-Specific Stable Isotopes from Eye Lenses , Amy A. Wallace

Studies of the Long-term Change of Global Mean and Regional Sea Surface Height , Yingli Zhu

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Ecophysiology of Oxygen Supply in Cephalopods , Matthew A. Birk

Remote Estimation of Surface Water p CO 2 in the Gulf of Mexico , Shuangling Chen

Spatial Dynamics and Productivity of a Gulf of Mexico Commercial Reef Fish Fishery Following Large Scale Disturbance and Management Change , Marcy Lynn Cockrell

Quantifying the Probability of Lethal Injury to Florida Manatees Given Characteristics of Collision Events. , B. Lynn Combs

Diversity of ssDNA Phages Related to the Family Microviridae within the Ciona robusta Gut , Alexandria Creasy

Use of a Towed Camera System along the west Florida shelf: A Case Study of the Florida Middle Grounds Benthic Marine Communities , Katie S. Davis

Using Ecosystem-Based Modeling to Describe an Oil Spill and Assess the Long-Term Effects , Lindsey N. Dornberger

Extending Spectrophotometric pHT Measurements in Coastal and Estuarine Environments , Nora Katherine Douglas

Evaluating the use of larval connectivity information in fisheries models and management in the Gulf of Mexico , Michael Drexler

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding Predator-Prey Relationships in a Changing Ocean: From System Design to Education , Ileana M. Freytes-Ortiz

Application of Image Recognition Technology to Foraminiferal Assemblage Analyses , Christian Helmut Gfatter

Evaluation of trace-metal and isotopic records as techniques for tracking lifetime movement patterns in fishes , Jennifer E. Granneman

The Stability of Sand Waves in a Tidally-Influenced Shipping Channel, Tampa Bay, Florida , John Willis Gray

Application of Modern Foraminiferal Assemblages to Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction: Case Studies from Coastal and Shelf Environments , Christian Haller

Integrating Towed Underwater Video with Multibeam Acoustics for Mapping Benthic Habitat and Assessing Reef Fish Communities on the West Florida Shelf , Alexander Ross Ilich

Evaluating Beach Water Quality and Dengue Fever Risk Factors by Satellite Remote Sensing and Artificial Neural Networks , Abdiel Elias Laureano-Rosario

Microbial Associations of Four Species of Algal Symbiont-Bearing Foraminifera from the Florida Reef Tract, USA , Makenna May Martin

Environmental controls on the geochemistry of Globorotalia truncatulinoides in the Gulf of Mexico: Implications for paleoceanographic reconstructions , Caitlin Elizabeth Reynolds

Dormancy in the Amphistegina gibbosa Holobiont: Ecological and Evolutionary Implications for the Foraminifera , Benjamin J. Ross

Optical Remote Sensing of Oil Spills in the Gulf of Mexico , Shaojie Sun

Spatial and Temporal Distributions of Pelagic Sargassum in the Intra-Americas Sea and Atlantic Ocean , Mengqiu Wang

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Packaging of Genetic Material by Gene Transfer Agents (GTAs) Produced by Marine Roseobacter Species and Their Effect on Stimulating Bacterial Growth , Shahd Bader Aljandal

Spatio-temporal Dynamics of Soil Composition and Accumulation Rates in Mangrove Wetlands , Joshua L. Breithaupt

Characterizing Benthic Habitats Using Multibeam Sonar and Towed Underwater Video in Two Marine Protected Areas on the West Florida Shelf, USA , Jennifer L. Brizzolara

Latitudinal Position and Trends of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and its Relationship with Upwelling in the Southern Caribbean Sea and Global Climate Indices , Kaitlyn E. Colna

Calibration-free Spectrophotometric Measurements of Carbonate Saturation States in Seawater , Erin E. Cuyler

Viruses in marine animals: Discovery, detection, and characterizarion , Elizabeth Fahsbender

Quantity Trumps Quality: Bayesian Statistical Accumulation Modeling Guides Radiocarbon Measurements to Construct a Chronology in Real-time , Devon Robert Firesinger

Characterizing Gross Lesions in Corals on Fringing Reefs of Taiwan and Hainan Island, China , Adrienne George

Reef Fish Biodiversity in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary , Megan E. Hepner

Investigating Marine Resources in the Gulf of Mexico at Multiple Spatial and Temporal Scales of Inquiry , Joshua Paul Kilborn

Southern Ocean Transport by Combining Satellite Altimetry and Temperature/Salinity Profile Data , Michael Kosempa

Role of viruses within metaorganisms: Ciona intestinalis as a model system , Brittany A. Leigh

Evaluating satellite and supercomputing technologies for improved coastal ecosystem assessments , Matthew James Mccarthy

Stable Isotopes in the Eye Lenses of Doryteuthis plei: Exploring Natal Origins and Migratory Patterns in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico , Brenna A. Meath

Genetic Identification and Population Characteristics of Deep-Sea Cephalopod Species in the Gulf of Mexico and Northwestern Atlantic Ocean , Amanda Sosnowski

Investigation of Sediment Ridges Using Bathymetry and Backscatter near Clearwater, Florida , Lewis Stewart

Resolving chronological and temperature constraints on Antarctic deglacial evolution through improved dating methodology , Cristina Subt

Subtropical benthos vary with reef type, depth, and grazing intensity , Kara R. Wall

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Diversity and Distribution of Diatom Endosymbionts in Amphistegina spp. (Foraminifera) Based on Molecular and Morphological Techniques , Kwasi H. Barnes

Abundance of Archaias angulatus on the West Florida Coast Indicates the Influence of Carbonate Alkalinity over Salinity , Sean Thomas Beckwith

Resource Use Overlap in a Native Grouper and Invasive Lionfish , Joseph Schmidt Curtis

Miocene Contourite Deposition (along-slope) near DeSoto Canyon, Gulf of Mexico: A Product of an Enhanced Paleo-Loop Current , Shane Christopher Dunn

Trophic Ecology and Habitat Use of Atlantic Tarpon ( Megalops atlanticus ) , Benjamin Neal Kurth

Characterization of Bacterial Diversity in Cold-Water Anthothelidae Corals , Stephanie Nichole Lawler

Whiting Events Off Southwest Florida: Remote Sensing and Field Observations , Jacqueline Long

Pollutants and Foraminiferal Assemblages in Torrecillas Lagoon: An Environmental Micropaleontology Approach , Michael Martinez-Colon

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Marine Biology Graduate Program

Creating future leaders in marine science, phd students.

This page and the academic progress flow chart may not apply to all MBIO students. Current students are asked to refere to co-hort relevant resources on the MBIO intranet.

Academic Progress Flow Chart

- Interim Committee Meeting - MBIO 603*

- Annual Progress Report due Sept. 1 - Finalize 5-member PhD Committee and submit roster to MBGP - Write Proposal

- Hold Committee Meeting and submit report to MBGP - Continue to write/revise proposal

- Submit Annual Progress Report by Sept. 1 - By end of this semester, set date for your Comprehensive Exam (must be taken before end of 6th semester, i.e., spring) - Committee Meeting: Usually to discuss dissertation proposal - Make a public presentation sometime this academic year

- Take and Pass Comp Exam - Proposal Approved by Committee - File Form 2 - Advance to Candidacy

- Submit Annual Progress Report by Sept. 1 to MBGP and committee - Enroll in MBIO 800 - Hold Committee Meeting and report results to MBGP - Write Dissertation - Make a public presentation of your research this academic year

- Enroll in MBIO 800 - File an Application for Degree with Graduate Division - Submit Annual Progress Report by Sept. 1 to MBGP and committee - Make a public presentation sometime this academic year - Committee Meeting - Set the date of your defense in collaboration with committee and MBGP (must be announced on the University calendar) - Defend your dissertation through public presentation announced to all MBGP faculty and students - File Form 3 - Dissertation Evaluation - Finalize Dissertation - File Form 4 - Dissertation Submission - Upload dissertation - Submit Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) certificate - Complete MBGPʻs Exit Survey (and optional exit interview) - Graduate!

Program Requirements

These are required of all PhD students who are admitted into the Program.

• Complete Form 1 (Pre-Candidacy Progress) By the end of the first week of classes, students should meet with their interim committee and discuss the student's preparation and path forward. (Fall 2021 cohort members: The Program completed Form 1 on your behalf)
• * MBIO 603 and MBIO 604 All students entering the program are required to enroll in and successfully complete the MBIO 603 and 604 courses in their first year of study. (Fall 2021 cohort members took a combined 603-604 as part of the August course; they do not need to take 603 and 604 separately)
• Other required courses: Students who enter the PhD program without a completed life-science masters will have to take certain Content courses and a Statistics course.
• Teaching Experience: Teaching experience is required of all PhD students and usually takes the form of a TAship of at least one semester.
• Exit Interview: All students are required to submit a written exit survey with the option to meet with the Directors. Request the link to the survey from the Program Coordinator during their semester of graduation.

Important Deadlines

PhD students should adhere to these dates & deadlines to ensure successful progress.

• Form Dissertation Committee The 5-member roster must be repoerted to MBGP by the end of the 3rd semester. At least 3 members must be MBGP graduate faculty (2 must be Regular/Cooperating MBGP graduate faculty, and the third may be Regular, Cooperating, or Affiliate Graduate Faculty).
• Oral Comprehensive Exam: Your exam must be SCHEDULED by the end of the 5th semester and shared with the Program Coordinator. The exam must be taken and passed by the end of the 6th semester.
• Form 2 - Advance to Candidacy Upon passing your exam and having your dissertation topic approved, submit a completed and signed Form 2 - Advance to Candidacy. This is required to register for MBIO 800 and advance to candidacy.
• Register for MBIO 800 All PhD students MUST register for at least one credit of Dissertation 800 during the final semester of their graduate study.
• Form 3 - Dissertation Evaluation Students must successfully defend their dissertation in an oral defense open to the public and announced to all MBGP faculty and students, and have this online form approved by their committee, the co-Directors, and Graduate Division.
• Submit the SED Certificate of Completion Complete the form online when you have submitted your dissertation.
• Form 4 - Dissertation Submission A final, approved version of your dissertation must be uploaded to ETD Proquest and this online form completed

Annual Requirements

All students must meet the following requirements each year.

• Annual Progress Report Progress reports are due every year by September 1. Email your report and CV to your committee.
• Committee Meeting and Report Students must meet with their committee at least once every year. Submit a signed summary report of your meeting to the program coordinator as soon as possible after each meeting (but no later than May 15).
• Graduate Seminar: Starting with the Fall 2020 cohort, at least one seminar must be taken every academic year.
• Continuous Enrollment: Students must be continuously enrolled in at least 1 credit per semester (excluding summer). International students must be enrolled full-time in order to maintain visa status. GAs require at least 6 credits during each semester that the award is effective. Some financial aid awards require a minimum of 8 credits per semester of award.
• Research Presentation: After the 4th semester, all students are required to make an annual public presentation on their thesis or dissertation research.

Additional Links

MBGP Resources

• MBGP Student Handbook 17-19 Student Handbook for student cohorts entering in Fall 2017-Fall 2019.
• MBGP Student Handbook 20-22 Student Handbook for student cohorts entering in Fall 2020 and after
• MBGP Catalog

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The Marine Biology and Ecology (MBE) graduate program focuses on a wide range of field, laboratory, and theoretical coursework in research areas such as coral reef studies, biological oceanography, and marine biology, fisheries biology, and the biology and behavior of marine animals. MBE Ph.D. students can choose from a diversity of research areas and coursework that provide a broad educational perspective. 

Admission Requirements

Most successful applicants have a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences including a strong foundation in physical sciences (chemistry, physics, calculus) and basic biological sciences. However, applicants with a diversity of other degrees also are successful. Courses in marine biology and oceanography are not necessary for entrance into the program. Applicants should contact specific faculty to discuss mutual research interests. The GRE score is not required for admission. Applicants whose first language is not English must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of at least 550. All application requirements are available  here .

Curriculum Requirements

Each student will design a customized curriculum based on their research focus with advisor approval.

Minimum of 18 course credits and 12 dissertation credits.

No core courses are required. Students choose courses with the advice of their committee. 

• At the end of the second year, a written qualifying examination is required of all Ph.D. students that focuses on the subject matter needed to complete the research proposed for the dissertation.
• The purpose of the qualifying examination is to demonstrate that the MBE doctoral student has the necessary understanding and expertise in research and related fields to complete the dissertation research. The topic areas should be agreed upon by the student, chair, and the dissertation committee soon after the proposal defense. The student is strongly encouraged to discuss the specific topics with each member of the dissertation committee, well in advance of the examination, to clarify the expected questions. The committee is encouraged to provide specific reading or areas of knowledge they will test the student on.
• The qualifying exam is 4 - 5 partial days (4 hours per day) on questions written by their committee. It is the advisor’s responsibility to provide the test and to have the student’s committee grade it in a timely manner. The scheduling of the exam sessions is the responsibility of the student's advisor, but in all cases the written portion of the examination shall be completed within one week.
• An additional oral qualifying examination may be required by the student's committee, but may not serve as a substitute for the written examination, which is a Graduate School requirement.
• The decision of passing or failing the qualifying examination rests with the dissertation committee. The qualifying examination (written and, if required, oral) must be successfully completed, as documented by the dissertation committee, before the student can be admitted to candidacy.
• In the event of a failure, a student may be re-examined once upon the recommendation of the student's committee in consultation with the academic committee. If permitted, the reexamination must be given before the end of the following semester.
• Attendance to the MBE seminars is required every semester. 
• Students entering the MBE Ph.D. program with a Master's degree begin to give seminars in their first year.
• Ph.D. students are expected to be a Teaching Assistant (TA) for two courses while pursuing their degree.
• The mandatory TA program will include training of new TAs, evaluation of their performance, and recognition of excellence. The goal is to make the experience as valuable as possible for the TA, the faculty, and the students taking our courses.
• A training session and two teaching opportunities are offered as courses in educational training (RSM 771, RSM 772, RSM 773). Students will be registered accordingly.
• Specific requirements for TAs are outlined in the Rosenstiel School Student Handbook.

Sample Plan of Study

The mission of the Marine Biology and Ecology (MBE) Ph.D. program is to train the next generation of scientists in the fundamental skills, knowledge, and practice of biology of the oceanic environment. Through coursework and independent research, we strive to prepare our students for positions in academia, government, or industry in jobs that leverage their skills in critical thinking, current technical knowledge such as statistical analysis and modeling, and understanding of the global marine environment. Our program commits to inspire graduates to continued scholarship, service, and innovation in an environment that is inclusive and diverse.

The goal is for Ph.D. students to demonstrate mastery of the fundamental skills, knowledge, and practice of biology of the oceanic environment, and commitment to scholarship, service, and innovation in an environment that is inclusive and diverse.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will demonstrate a broad understanding of marine and atmospheric science and an awareness of how scientific research in their topical areas bears on current human and societal issues.
• Students will be able to critically evaluate scientific literature, review previous knowledge on a topic, formulate testable hypotheses, and skillfully use available data and tools to advance knowledge in a topical area. They will be able to conduct high-quality, doctoral research as evidenced by their dissertation research.
• Students will demonstrate advanced oral and written communication skills, and be able to effectively communicate scientific information to a peer audience.

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Marine Biology

International Journal on Life in Oceans and Coastal Waters

Marine Biology is an international journal publishing original contributions from all fields of marine biology.

• Highlights research promoting understanding of life in the sea, organism-environment interactions, and marine biosphere functioning.
• Welcomes method articles, reviews, comments, and highlight articles of exceptional significance.
• Includes a diverse and international editorial board with expertise in many different specialties.
• No page charges or color illustration charges, with an average online publication time of 20 days upon acceptance.

This is a transformative journal , you may have access to funding.

• Ulrich Sommer

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Variation in metabolic rate during low tide aerial exposure in the asian shore crab hemigrapsus sanguineus.

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Morphological insights into the three-dimensional complexity of rhodolith beds

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Ecological implications and seasonal variability of grazing by marine copepods on phytoplankton: comparison between Acartia omorii and A . steueri in Jangmok Bay, Korea

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Guide to Theses

Thesis in the UK refers normally to Doctoral/ PhD level research work, while a dissertation refers to Undergraduate/Postgraduate level original work of a shorter length. It is important to note that the US these terms are reversed and you normally hear PhD/ Doctoral work referred to as a dissertation, while work at a lower level is normally a dissertation.

Theses and dissertations are not peer-reviewed but a PhD Thesis or Dissertation will be a very high-level piece of in-depth work and would have passed after a difficult defense against a panel of academics. If you find a useful PhD thesis I would still recommend seeing if the author has published any articles from it, as this is normal in the sciences.

The links below will help you find theses and possibly dissertations too. Check the qualification of the work you find- even the best postgraduate work may not be rigorous enough and may require a discussion with a supervisor to decide whether it should be used or not.

If you don't have Open Access to an item, it may be worth placing an Inter Library Loan if you really need the thesis. Do bear in mind you will only be able to place these for items found via ETHoS as the British Library supply our Inter Library Loans.

Finding Theses

University of plymouth theses, accessing university of plymouth phd theses.

Electronic full text PhD theses and some masters dissertations are stored in PEARL and they can be searched and accessed via PRIMO: 1.    Make your search in Primo selecting Plymouth University research repositories  from the drop down menu.

2.    The results  list will contain details of both PhD theses and masters dissertations. To narrow down the results to just PhD theses or masters dissertation, use the Refine My Results options on the left of the screen

3.    The Details  tab provides the abstract and the View Online  tab or the title will link to the full text.

Some theses can be subject to embargos on grounds of confidentiality or other ethical reasons

The British Library runs a service called  EThOS , which enables individuals to register online at http://ethos.bl.uk and access UK PhD theses. EThOS currently provides details of more than 250,000 theses, many of which are available electronically and can be downloaded from EThOS including all Plymouth PhD theses. 

Plymouth theses can also be accessed from PEARL (the university repository) via Primo along with a selection of Masters theses.

If you are a PhD student you can find out about depositing your thesis from our Library Research Support & Services library guide

Global Theses

You may discover theses referenced in scholarly work, but it is worth nothing that there are limits on discoverability due to lack of metadata and archiving in many regions or institutions. However, you may find the following links useful:

Proquest Digital Theses Open Find Open Access theses from international institutions. You should be able to access these via a link.

Open Access Theses and Dissertations Attempts to collate records for Open Access graduate Theses and Dissertations from around the world.

• Last Updated: May 1, 2024 2:40 PM
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Enhancing glycosylated triterpenoid production in saccharomyces cerevisiae , biosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles for use in anti-corrosion and anti-fouling agents , exploring s-nitrosoglutathione reductase function in the non-vascular plant, marchantia polymorpha , bioengineering inducible gene expression in leafy brassicas to address post-harvest-specific requirements , sex determination, sex chromosomes, and supergenes: evolution of an unusual reproductive system , super-resolution imaging of proteins in live cells using reversibly interacting peptide pairs , understanding the role and function of spocd1 in pirna-directed de novo dna methylation , sequencing b cell receptor repertoires in human disease: applications in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and in experimental malaria infection , role of tyrosine phosphatase ptpn22 in ctl responses to tumours and t cell exhaustion , rna editing ligases as novel drug targets in trypanosomatid parasites , pifs as a novel target in soybean to modulate the shade avoidance syndrome , structure and function of microtubule nucleation proteins , evaluation of the structural, functional, cellular and molecular basis of heart pathophysiology in mouse models of spinal muscular atrophy , understanding and utilising bacterial growth rate changes at high external osmolarities , origin and maintenance of diversity in british euphrasia (orobanchaceae) , single-cell time-series analysis of metabolic rhythms in yeast , ectopic heterochromatin provides an alternative route to fungal resistance , understanding adaptive immunity using immune receptor repertoire sequencing , mapping inbreeding depression in wild red deer (cervus elaphus) , transcription-only cell-free systems and their application in biosensing .

Marine Biology (MB)

Interested in applying to our MS or PhD programs? View presentations from this year's info sessions .

Information for the Marine Biology PhD program and Master's degree programs

The program offers two tracks, Marine Biology and Marine Chemical Biology:

Marine Biology  (MB) is the study of marine organisms and their relationship with the physical and chemical dynamics of the marine environment. Faculty expertise encompasses several major areas of modern biology including evolutionary, ecological, organismic, physiological, biochemical, and genetic processes of marine animals and microorganisms.

Examples of current research activities include:

• Marine microbiology
• Algae biofuels and biotechnology
• Genomics, metagenomics, and bioinformatics
• Cell and developmental biology
• Physiology and biochemistry of marine animals
• Biomechanics and biomaterials
• Ecotoxicology
• Photobiology
• Parasitology
• Animal behavior and behavioral ecology
• Deep-sea biology
• Phylogeny and taxonomy of marine animals
• Biogeography or marine populations
• Evolutionary genomics and molecular ecology of marine organisms
• Biodiversity, ecology, and conservation of marine ecosystems

Studies ranging from spatial ecology of coral reef ecosystems to the role of the marine microbiome in food web dynamics are being investigated in over thirty independent research laboratories. 

Marine Chemical Biology (MCB) is an interfacial discipline combining the fields of chemistry and biology to study and manipulate biological systems with the use of chemical, biochemical and genetic techniques and tools. Currently most of the investigations in the MCB track are focused on the discovery and application of marine microbial natural products and the study of biochemical processes utilized to create these unique molecules.

Marine natural products are amongst some of the most structurally novel in the natural world, and their chemical description is critical to developing their full biomedical and biotechnological value as well as exploring their functional roles in our natural world. Understanding the biosynthesis of these marine natural products by a combination of organic chemistry and recombinant biology approaches lays the foundation for the discovery and application of novel biosynthetic enzymes and the rational metabolic engineering of designer molecules. Some of these metabolites may have utility as biological reagents, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, biofuels, or other commodity chemicals. Innovative analytical methods are also being utilized to probe the sites of natural products’ biosynthesis in complex associations of marine species, including those involved in symbiotic relationships.

Potential advisors for prospective applicants

Prospective PhD and MS applicants should reach out to all potential advisors based on research interests to ascertain whether they are encouraged to apply. Additionally, PhD program applicants should be aware that funding for PhD students is usually supplied by individual advisors and that such funding is often very limited; hence, securing outside fellowships (e.g., the NSF GRFP) greatly increases the chance of admission.  See here for more information concerning funding.

Educational Requirements for Admission

In addition to the general requirements for admission to the PhD program listed  here , a major in one of the biological sciences (or equivalent), with basic course work in botany, microbiology, or zoology, as well as two years of chemistry, including organic chemistry, is required.  

Training in one or more of the following areas is strongly recommended: cellular biology, molecular biology, comparative physiology, genetics, developmental biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, microbiology, and/or botany.

MB Applicant evaluation criteria

Factors that are used to evaluate applicants include, but are not limited to, (1) Academic preparation; (2) Scholarly potential; (3) Diversity, equity, and inclusion contributions; (4) Alignment with the program (i.e., fit with the laboratories of prospective advisors); (5) Realistic self-appraisal; and (6) Long-term goals.

If an OBP applicant decides to submit the entirely optional general GRE scores, those scores will be used similarly to the GPA, alongside the applicant’s other materials to inform the holistic assessment of the applicant’s “scholarly potential.”

We reemphasize that a requirement for the acceptance of even excellent applicants is the interest and ability of the prospective main advisor(s) to take on the student; the ability of even an interested advisor to admit is ultimately contingent on the availability of funding, whether from internal or external sources.

Programs of Study for PhD

Students admitted to Ocean Bioscience Program (OBP) are assigned an advisor, who is a chair of the three-person guidance committee. Students are assigned to a curricular group based on their interests. Although students may change curricular groups near the beginning of the year, they must commit to a curricular group early on because this determines which departmental exam they will take. During the year, students may be supported in a variety of ways. After the first year, the guidance committee is dissolved and the research advisor, and eventually the dissertation committee, provide guidance.

Marine Biology Curriculum:

Graduate students are expected to gain research experience in one or more laboratories during their first year.

Graduate students are required to complete SIO core courses including SIO 210, Physical Oceanography, SIO 260, Marine Chemistry, and SIO 280, Biological Oceanography.  In addition, students are also expected to enroll in SIOB 297 Marine Biology Seminar, the weekly marine biology seminar series, every quarter.   In the spring term of their first year at SIO, students will take a departmental exam consisting of a presentation of their first-year research in the form of a paper and short talk to the curricular group, followed by a meeting with their first-year advisory committee. MB Ph.D. students also must take at least two graduate-level marine organismal courses or labs. A partial list of courses that fulfill this requirement include: SIOB 271 Marine Zooplankton, SIOB 274 Natural History Below the Tides, SIOB 277 Deep Sea Biology, SIOB 281 Marine Physiology, SIOB 282 Phytoplankton Diversity, SIOB 283 Phycology: Marine Plant Biology, SIOB 284 Marine Invertebrates, SIOB 287A Marine Microbial Ecology, SIOB 293 Applications of Phylogenetics, SIOB 294 Biology of Fishes, and SIOB 296 Marine Tetrapods.

After their first year, students are expected to enroll and actively participate in at least one seminar course (SIO 278, 296, or equivalent) per year that will provide in-depth knowledge and reading in selected areas, as well as practice presenting scientific material.  Students frequently take additional SIO and UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences courses based on their research interests and general scientific education.

In addition to the seminar requirement discussed above, second-year students will present their research in a special Marine Biology mini-symposium, held in spring quarter; students in the second through fourth years are expected to participate in the research presentation class (SIO 291) each year. 

Marine Chemical Biology Curriculum:  

Graduate students are required to complete SIO core courses including SIO 210, Physical Oceanography, SIO 260, Marine Chemistry, and SIO 280, Biological Oceanography. In addition, students are required to enroll in SIOB 262 Marine Chemical Biology Seminar every quarter.  In the spring term of their first year at SIO, students will take a departmental exam consisting of a presentation of their first-year research in the form of a paper and short talk to the curricular group, followed by a meeting with their first-year guidance committee. 

Marine Chemical Biology graduate students are expected to gain research experience in one or more laboratories during their first year.  Additional courses that are recommended as electives in this Track, the exact composition of which will be decided by discussion between the student and the student’s first year guidance committee, include CHEM 257, Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, SIO 242A-B, Marine Biotechnology I and II, SIO 264, Special Topics in Marine Natural Products Chemistry, and at least one of the following two courses: CHEM 254, Mechanisms of Organic Reactions and/or CHEM 258, Applied Spectroscopy. These are typically taken over the first two years of study. Additional electives, seminar courses, and special topics courses in graduate science and oceanography are available.

Second-year students will present their research along with students in the Marine Biology mini-symposium which is held in spring quarter.

Program of Study for MS

Required course work-.

• SIOC 210. Physical Oceanography (4 units)
• SIOG 260. Marine Chemistry (4 units)
• SIOB 280. Biological Oceanography (4 units)
• MB M.S. students also must take at least two graduate-level marine organismal courses or labs. A partial list of courses that fulfill this requirement include: SIOB 271 Marine Zooplankton, SIOB 274 Natural History Below the Tides, SIOB 277 Deep Sea Biology, SIOB 281 Marine Physiology, SIOB 282 Phytoplankton Diversity, SIOB 283 Phycology: Marine Plant Biology, SIOB 284 Marine Invertebrates, SIOB 287A Marine Microbial Ecology, SIOB 293 Applications of Phylogenetics, SIOB 294 Biology of Fishes, and SIOB 296 Marine Tetrapods

Elective course work-

Students may fulfill the remaining units of required course work through elective course offerings that may be recommended by the guidance committee.

Marine Chemical Biology Curriculum:

• SIOG 260. Marine Chemistry (4 units)
• SIOB 280. Biological Oceanography (4 units)

Students may fulfill the remaining units of required course work through elective course offerings selected in consultation with the students’ guidance committee. Typical recommended electives are below:

• Chem 257. Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry (4 units)
• SIOG 232. Ethical and Professional Science (2 units) or equivalent
• SIOB 242 A-B. Marine Biotechnology I and II (8 units)
• SIOB 264. Special Topics in Marine Natural Products Chemistry (3 units)
• Select at least one of the following: Chem 254. Mechanisms of Organic Reactions (4 units) and/or Chem 258. Applied Spectroscopy (4 units)

Research in Marine Biology

Marine Biology Faculty and Researchers:

• Octavio Aburto
• Andrew Allen
• Lihini Aluwihare
• Dahiana Arcila
• Douglas Bartlett
• Tarik Benmarhnia
• Ricardo Betancur
• Jeff S. Bowman
• Ronald Burton
• Dimitri Deheyn
• Terry Gaasterland
• Bill Gerwick
• Jack Gilbert
• Amro Hamdoun
• Ryan Hechinger
• Paul Jensen
• Linda Kelly
• James Leichter
• April Lukowski
• Deirdre Lyons
• Bradley Moore
• Richard Norris
• Brian Palenik
• Paul Ponganis
• Kim Prather
• Stuart Sandin
• Brice Semmens
• Jennifer Smith
• George Sugihara
• Jennifer Taylor
• Martin Tresguerres
• Lisa Zeigler

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MSc (by Dissertation) Marine Biology

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• Get a prospectus

Entry requirements

Fees and funding.

• What's next?

Research in our School of Life Sciences covers a wide spectrum of biology from genes to ecosystems, and this broad-based structure provides opportunities for developing novel ideas and inter-disciplinary projects. We offer supervision in all areas of staff expertise in marine biology including community ecology of coral reef systems, tropical seagrass beds, mangroves and fisheries, deep sea/marine connectivity, ocean acidification and macronutrient cycling.

As a research student at Essex, you'll work at the heart of our internationally acknowledged and well-connected research community. We offer world-class supervision and training opportunities, and encourage you to engage with other researchers, professionals, practitioners and research users, where possible for example using the generous funding from Proficio to attend conferences and training courses.

An MPhil and PhD are also available. Both full- and part-time study can be supported, and you can start this course in either January, April or October.

We're ranked 31st for promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on life below water (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023). Learn more about the THE Impact Rankings 2023 as well as the partnership between The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the University of Essex to collaborate on training and research related to aquatic ecosystem science .

• Our Coral Reef Research Unit is the most extensive of its kind in the UK.
• You will be part of our collaborative Research Groups that work on important international and national problems using cutting-edge techniques.
• We have strong links with a range of organisations, such as the Environment Agency, Cefas, Defra, Operation Wallacea, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities.

Our expert staff

Within our School of Life Sciences, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may be jointly supervised.

The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Initially, your supervisor will help you develop your research topic and plan.

Twice a year, you will have a supervisory board meeting, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.

Your technical and intellectual development will be enhanced by becoming part of a Research Group, and participating in School Seminars.

Specialist facilities

We have excellent facilities for marine and freshwater studies both in the laboratory and in the field. In house facilities include:

You have access to a wealth of local and overseas field sites through ongoing funded projects and collaborations. Extensive marine and estuarine habitats of national and international ecological importance are located within a short distance of our Colchester Campus.

A dedicated study room allows all our postgraduate research students to have access to a desk and a computer outside of the research laboratories. This provides a focal point for our postgraduates, facilitating reading and writing as well as good communication and a sense of community.

Your future

Our graduates go on to a range of careers. Some choose to continue into a research career by taking up doctoral positions in the UK or overseas. Others work with governmental and non-governmental organisations and environmental agencies, consultancies and voluntary organisations. We support your career development by a mentoring scheme and employability events.

UK entry requirements

International & eu entry requirements.

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please select your country page where you'll find this information.

English language requirements

Course structure.

A research degree doesn't have a taught structure, giving you the chance to investigate your chosen topic in real depth and reach a profound understanding. In communicating that understanding, through a thesis or other means, you have a rare opportunity to generate knowledge. A research degree allows you to develop new high-level skills, enhance your professional development and build new networks. It can open doors to many careers.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.

Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.

In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.

Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

This module is for PhD students who are completing the research portions of their thesis.

View Biological Science - Research on our Module Directory

The aim of undertaking your MSD within our School of Life Sciences is to train independent researchers who can critically assess other research work, and have a comprehensive knowledge of at least one area of biology.

An MSD involves a minimum of one year of full-time research or two years part time followed by production of a dissertation. Students enrolled on an MSD programme can upgrade to an MPhil or PhD subject to satisfactory progress.

Dissertation

Within our School of Life Sciences, you must attend two formal supervisory board meetings each year where you submit literature reviews and research reports to the Board members prior to the meeting. At these meetings, such documents are discussed with you and your progress is assessed.

Your MSD thesis is generally completed within one to two years and has a maximum length of 30,000 words.

Home/UK fee

£4,712 per year

International fee

£20,700 per year

Fees will increase for each academic year of study.

Masters fees and funding information

Research (e.g. PhD) fees and funding information

What's next

We hold Open Days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Colchester Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:

• tour our campus and accommodation
• find out answers to your questions about our courses, graduate employability, student support and more
• talk to our Fees and Funding team about scholarship opportunities
• meet our students and staff

If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing [email protected] and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.

2024 Open Days (Colchester Campus)

• Saturday 15 June 2024 - June Open Day
• Saturday 21 September 2024 - September Open Day
• Saturday 26 October 2024 - October Open Day

You can apply for this postgraduate course online . Before you apply, please check our information about necessary documents that we'll ask you to provide as part of your application.

We encourage you to make a preliminary enquiry directly to a potential supervisor or the Graduate Administrator within your chosen Department or School. We encourage the consideration of a brief research proposal prior to the submission of a full application.

We aim to respond to applications within four weeks. If we are able to offer you a place, you will be contacted via email.

For information on our deadline to apply for this course, please see our ‘ how to apply ' information.

Visit Colchester Campus

Set within 200 acres of  award-winning  parkland - Wivenhoe Park  and located two miles from the  historic city centre of Colchester – England's oldest recorded development. Our Colchester Campus is also easily reached from London and Stansted Airport in under one hour.

Virtual tours

If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tour allows you to explore the Colchester Campus from the comfort of your home. Check out our accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.

Exhibitions

Our staff travel the world to speak to people about the courses on offer at Essex. Take a look at our list of exhibition dates to see if we’ll be near you in the future.

At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.

The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications . The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.

The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.

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MSc (by Dissertation) Marine Biology

University of essex, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, university information, similar courses at this uni, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

MSc - Master of Science

Subject areas

Marine Biology

Course type

Research in our School of Life Sciences covers a wide spectrum of biology from genes to ecosystems, and this broad-based structure provides opportunities for developing novel ideas and inter-disciplinary projects. We offer supervision in all areas of staff expertise in marine biology including community ecology of coral reef systems, tropical seagrass beds, mangroves and fisheries, deep sea/marine connectivity, ocean acidification and macronutrient cycling.

As a research student at Essex, you’ll work at the heart of our internationally acknowledged and well-connected research community. We offer world-class supervision and training opportunities, and encourage you to engage with other researchers, professionals, practitioners, and research users, where possible for example using the generous funding from Proficio to attend conferences and training courses.

The aim of undertaking your MSD within our School of Life Sciences is to train independent researchers who can critically assess other research work and have a comprehensive knowledge of at least one area of biology.

An MSD involves a minimum of one year of full-time research or two years part time followed by production of a dissertation. Students enrolled on an MSD programme can upgrade to an MPhil or PhD subject to satisfactory progress.

Your future

Our graduates go on to a range of careers. Some choose to continue into a research career by taking up doctoral positions in the UK or overseas. Others work with governmental and non-governmental organisations and environmental agencies, consultancies, and voluntary organisations. We support your career development by a mentoring scheme and employability events.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

You will need a good honours degree or a Masters degree, or equivalent, in a related subject. A well-developed research proposal is also essential.

The University of Essex prides itself on being at the forefront of change. It is an institution with a culture of boldness where creativity and curiosity in learning are both encouraged and expected. It’s a UK university, placing 36th and 32nd according to the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023 and the 2024 Complete University Guide rankings, respectively. At the University of Essex, students are taught by world-leading academics in a... more

PhD Marine Biology

Full time | 4 years | OCT-24

MSc Tropical Marine Biology

Full time | 1 year | 03-OCT-24

MPhil Marine Biology

Full time | 3 years | 03-OCT-24

PhD Tropical Marine Biology

Full time | 5 years | 03-OCT-24

• Bibliography
• More Referencing guides Blog Automated transliteration Relevant bibliographies by topics
• Automated transliteration
• Relevant bibliographies by topics
• Referencing guides

Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Marine biology'

Create a spot-on reference in apa, mla, chicago, harvard, and other styles.

Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Marine biology.'

Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.

You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.

Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.

Ridruejo, Carlos Mateo. "Isla del Rey : a marine biology center." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/69353.

Klanjšček, Tin. "Dynamic energy budgets and bioaccumulation : a model for marine mammals and marine mammal populations." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/34623.

Shoji, Akiko. "Incubation strategy in marine birds." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28466.

Jones, Angela M. "Aspects of the biology of some marine ascaridoid nematodes." Thesis, University of Stirling, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/1498.

Reyes, Nikolle Susanne. "Marine bacterial isolates utilize unique mercury resistance mechanisms." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/25416.

Foor, Brandon. "The biology and macroparasites of the sixgill sawshark Pliotrema warreni." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25303.

Pujade, Laura. "Development of a biomarker panel for identifying stressed marine mammals." Scholarly Commons, 2019. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/3587.

Stringer, Geraldine A. "The edge observed : island landscape for a marine biology facility." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78973.

Grange, Laura Joanne. "Reproductive success in Antarctic marine invertebrates." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2005. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/41355/.

Fullarton, J. Gregor. "Lipid biomarkers in marine symbiotic systems." Thesis, University of Stirling, 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.384931.

Matich, Philip. "Environmental and Individual Factors Shaping the Habitat Use and Trophic Interactions of Juvenile Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) in a Subtropical Estuary." FIU Digital Commons, 2014. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1236.

Bossart, Gregory D. "Immunocytes of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) : morphologic characterizations and correlations between healthy and disease states under free-ranging and captive conditions." FIU Digital Commons, 1995. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1772.

Dunphy-Daly, Meagan Mná. "Temporal variation in dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) habitat use and group size off Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas." FIU Digital Commons, 2008. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3101.

Cubillos-Ruiz, Andrés Fernando, Jessica Weidemier Thompson, Jamie William Becker, Sallie W. Chisholm, Yanxiang Shi, der Donk Wilfred A. Van, and Audrey Olshefsky. "Ecology and evolution of lanthipeptides in marine picocyanobacteria." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101829.

Thompson, Luke Richard. "Auxiliary metabolic genes in viruses infecting marine cyanobacteria." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/57562.

Kruger, Lisa Maria. "Feeding biology of intertidal sea anemones in the south-western Cape." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19423.

Miller, Robert J. "Ecological factors shaping subtidal rock wall communities in the Gulf of Maine." View this thesis online, 2005. http://libraries.maine.edu/gateway/oroauth.asp?file=orono/etheses/37803141.pdf.

Roel, Beatriz Adelaida. "Stock assessment of the Chokka Squid : Loligo vulgaris reynaudii." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19576.

Harington, Amy. "Trace metal effects on phytoplankton in subpolar seas with special emphasis on coccolithophores." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27354.

Nibam, Abi Henry. "Reproductive biology and diet of the St. Joseph (Callorhinchus capensis) in South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/10791.

Chien, Diana M. "Fine-scale ecological dynamics of closely related marine microbes." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/105636.

Willey, Joanne M. "Characterization of swimming motility in a marine unicellular cyanobacterium." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/14611.

Kim, Jun-Woo. "Copper requirements of marine diatoms of the Thalassiosirales." Thesis, McGill University, 2012. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=106254.

Porter, Donovan Stuart. "Isolation and characterisation of antibiotic-producing marine actinomycetes." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8591.

Johnston, Olivia Ruth. "Distribution and biology of the marine invasive bivalve Theora lubrica (Semelidae)." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Biological Sciences, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2453.

Carloni, Riccardo. "Electron paramagnetic resonance applications: from drug discovery to marine biology studies." Doctoral thesis, Urbino, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11576/2682203.

Wänstrand, Ingrid. "Pigment and Thiamine Dynamics in Marine Phytoplankton and Copepods." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Evolutionsbiologi, 2004. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-4560.

Cunniff, Kevin M. "Phenology, sexual reproduction, and the factors affecting sexual reproduction of the marine angiosperm, Thalassia testudinum, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS)." FIU Digital Commons, 2005. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2691.

Ilikchyan, Irina N. "Phosphonates Utilization in Marine and Freshwater Picocyanobacteria." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1229969527.

Chon, Suet-ling, and 莊雪玲. "Remote sensing applications in studying marine biological processes." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2004. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31255826.

Gray, Victoria A. "Physiological consequences of temperature stress on the marine snail, Lottia gigantea." California State University, Long Beach, 2013.

Salter, Lesley. "Effects of Barotrauma on Four Species of Pacific Rockfishes ( Sebastes spp. )." DigitalCommons@CalPoly, 2019. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2007.

Shuuluka, Diina. "Ecophysiological studies of three South African Ulva species from integrated seaweed." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/10903.

Mead, Angela. "Climate and Bioinvasives drivers of change on South African Rocky shores?" Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11308.

Sankar, Kishan. "Life on a gradient : activity levels of the seastar Patiriella exigua in different abiotic conditions." Bachelor's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26051.

Innes, Sheona. "Tropical intertidal seaweed turf communities of Jesser Point, Sodwana Bay, South Africa." Bachelor's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26378.

Olivieri, Emilia T. "Phytoplankton growth and zooplankton grazing in the southern Benguela current." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22590.

Levy, Sarah Bernadette. "How reliable is morphological species delimitation in kelp? : a study of two closely related South African Ecklonia species." Bachelor's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12923.

Szeinfeld, Edy Sylvia Valdes. "Abundance and mortality of anchovy eggs caused by cannibalism and intraguild predation, and the potential effect on anchovy recruitment and clupeoid fluctuations." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26106.

Raw, Robert Nicolas Vause. "Population structure, site fidelity, and fine-scale habitat use of the broadnose sevengill shark, Notorynchus cepedianusat Pyramid rock, False Bay, South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11312.

Shannon, Lynne Jane. "Modelling the oceanographic transport of young Cape anchovy Engraulis capensis by advective processes off South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21784.

Wright, Amy Grace. "Deep water parapagurid hermit crabs: their distribution, abundance, population structure and associations in the Southern Benguela." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25650.

Pasnin, Charles Olivier Arvin. "A marine systematic conservation plan for Rodrigues Island, Western Indian Ocean." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11054.

Loosen, Kristina. "Predictors of white shark Carcharodon carcharias presence at two recreational beaches in a major metropole." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27493.

Gersun, Leanne. "The abundance and diversity patterns of seaweed communities on natural and artificial substrata at Sodwana Bay, South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13051.

Winckler, Heidi. "The application of univariate and distributional analyses to assess the impacts of diamond mining on marine macrofauna off the Namibian Coast." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17969.

Plagányi, Éva Elizabeth. "A model of copepod population dynamics in the southern Benguela upwelling region." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14969.

Baker, Shirley Marie. "Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) metamorphosis: Effects of low oxygen." W&M ScholarWorks, 1994. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539616556.

Brylawski, Bryce J. "Cultural eutrophication and the clam Macoma balthica: Evidence for trophic disruption and effects on blue crabs." W&M ScholarWorks, 2009. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539616585.

Robison, Clara L. "Impacts of Margalefidinium polykrikoides and Alexandrium monilatum on Oysters Cultured in Lower Chesapeake Bay." W&M ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593092072.

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• 1 Introduction
• 1.1 Current year deadlines
• 2 Guidelines for the dissertation
• 2.1 Proposing a dissertation
• 2.2 Preparing to submit
• 2.2.1 Formatting requirements
• 2.2.2 What to include
• 2.3 Extensions to dissertation deadlines
• 2.3.1 Penalties for late submission:
• 2.4 Plagiarism
• 3 Advice on preparing your dissertation
• 3.1 Supplementary information to assist in the preparation of dissertations
• 3.1.1 Latin, generic and vernacular names
• 3.1.2 Figures and tables
• 3.1.3 References
• 3.1.4 Notes on literature retrieval

Introduction

Examples of dissertations topics offered in the past are available here .

You can expect to receive a maximum of four supervisions with your dissertation supervisor. You are expected to meet with your supervisor at least twice during the preparation of your dissertation. Supervisors are only permitted to view a single draft of your dissertation prior to submission.

Course Organisers will tell you when and how dissertation titles will be released; and you will be required to have your title approved by Division of Michaelmas term.

Your dissertation should be prepared in accordance with the dissertation guidelines shown below, which have been issued by the Faculty Board. Please consult these guidelines at an early stage and pay particular attention to the appropriate closing dates.

Current year deadlines

Division of Michaelmas term: 9th November 2023, 4pm - Title/proposal approved Friday 15th March 2024 - Last day to change title of dissertation Friday 26th April 2024, 12:30pm - Dissertation must be submitted electronically

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Guidelines for the dissertation

Proposing a dissertation.

All NST Part II BBS students should take note of the following regulations and guidelines for their dissertation.

The dissertation topic may be proposed by the candidate or chosen from one offered by the relevant Department and should be not more than 6,000 words, on a subject associated with either the Major or Minor subject . You must complete the form available on the BBS Moodle site, following the instructions stated there. This must be done no later than Division of Michaelmas term, that is 4.00 pm on Thursday, 9 November 2023 .

You must notify the Faculty Office of any subsequent changes to either the title or the subject of your dissertation. In order to change your title, please fill in the required form available on the BBS Moodle site so an update can be made with Student Registry. The latest date by which you can change the title of your dissertation is the last day of Lent Term, that is Friday, 15th March 2024 .

Please note that you are free to do a dissertation in your minor subject, but you should inform your major subject Course Organiser if you take this option.

Preparing to submit

Your dissertation, in its complete form, must be submitted in electronic form via Moodle, in accordance with the guidance provided by the department you have written your dissertation in, by the deadline of 12.30 pm on Friday 26th April 2024 . Please refer to the BBS Moodle Site for instructions on how to do this.

The marking scheme for dissertations can be found here .

The electronic version of your dissertation may be run through a plagiarism-detection software program. For information, please see the Faculty Board's statement on plagiarism.

You will not examined by viva voce examination for your dissertation.

Formatting requirements

Your dissertation must not exceed 6,000 words, excluding the cover sheet, title page, summary, appendices, contents page, tables (and table legends), figures (and figure legends), footnotes, bibliography and acknowledgements. References and citations within the text count towards the word total. Students can submit the electronic version of their dissertation in either PDF or Word format. Please contact the Faculty Office if submitting in the above formats is undesirable.

Your dissertation must be typewritten or word-processed, double spaced, with 2.5 cm margins, a font size for main body text no larger than 12pt and no smaller than 10pt. 

Please remember it is your responsibility to write and submit your dissertation on time.

What to include

Please note that you should follow Departmental guidelines for BBS students if these are different from those below

Your dissertation must be accompanied by an A4 cover page (a sample form is available by clicking here ) , and must include:

• the full title (as approved)
• your full name
• your supervisor's name
• your college
• a signed declaration that it is your own original work, and that it does not contain material that has already been used to any substantial extent for a comparable purpose
• a statement that this is a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the Regulations for NST Part II Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
• a statement saying " I have read and understood the Faculty of Biology statement on plagiarism found here:  https://www.biology.cam.ac.uk/exams/AllExams/plagiarism "

You should include a title page, which should include the title of your dissertation, the name of your supervisor, the word count and your examination candidate number – please do not include your name on the title page, or any page other than the cover sheet referred to above . If you have not yet received your examination candidate number (BGN), please contact the teaching administrator of your major subject Department.

The dissertation must include a summary of not more than 300 words. The summary must be immediately after the title page.

Due to copyright/intellectual property issues, please do not include the University logo anywhere on your dissertation.

Extensions to dissertation deadlines

In line with the University's Dissertation and Coursework extensions policy , students can self-certify for extensions to coursework for up to a maximum of 7 days. Extensions can be requested for any reason (medical or non-medical) and students are not required to provide evidence of their reasoning. However, students will be required to confirm that they have informed their Tutor of the extension. If departments have concerns about additional support needs or a student’s wellbeing resulting from a student self-certifying for numerous pieces of coursework, they may contact the student’s Tutor directly to notify them further. If you require an extension longer than 7 days, you need to apply, with the support of your college, for a further extension through the EAMC.

To self-certify and provide the evidence needed students should fill out this form .

Where coursework extensions are applied there are likely to be delays to feedback.

Students are reminded that time management within the NST is important, and it can be easy to fall behind with work and deadlines. This policy should not be relied on to meet those deadlines as this simply pushes the workload to one week later. Please speak with your Director of Studies or Tutor if you are struggling to meet these deadlines.

Penalties for late submission:

You are required to self-certify prior to the original submission date (or at the point of submission at the very latest). Retrospective requests will not be accepted.

Where a student does not self-certify and does not submit their coursework by the original submission date, zero marks will be awarded.

Where a student has self-certified and does not submit their work by the revised submission date, zero marks will be awarded, unless a further extension has been granted by the department or EAMC (see below).

Where a student has applied for a further extension via the department (for Parts IA and IB) or  EAMC  (for Parts II and III) and does not submit their work by the agreed submission date, zero marks will be awarded.

If you have any concerns about the supervision you are receiving please contact the Course Organiser/dissertation organiser as soon as possible.

The Faculty Board has issued a statement on plagiarism , and you should read this carefully before preparing your dissertation. For information on plagiarism issued by the Board of Examinations, please click here. In addition your work may be submitted to the Turnitin plagiarism software program.  The BBS Turnitin policy is as follows:

"Work submitted for assessment as a component of Part II BBS (i.e. Dissertations) may be submitted to Turnitin UK software according to the policy of the examiners within the relevant department. Some departments may choose to submit all work to the software; other departments may choose to submit work if and only if the examiners have specific concerns regarding the originality of the particular piece of work. Please consult with the relevant Department on what their specific policy is for use of Turnitin. If the relevant Department does not use Turnitin, the BBS examiners reserve the right to utilise Turnitin in cases where they suspect plagiarism has taken place. Students are required to submit an electronic copy of their dissertation at the same time as a hard copy of their dissertation

If Turnitin UK detects matches between your work and another source, the Examiners will review the resulting originality report to judge whether the matches are innocent, or whether you have appropriately referenced these matches (if not, this may constitute plagiarism), and/or whether you have made excessive use of material from other sources (which may be poor academic practice).

The Examiners will mark your work purely on the basis of its academic merit. However, depending on the extent and context of the matches, your work may be referred to the Proctors for further investigation. In such cases the Turnitin UK originality report may be used as evidence. If you are found to have plagiarised, the penalty may be severe and your degree may be withheld. "

Advice on preparing your dissertation

The purpose of the dissertation is to give you an opportunity to produce a substantial piece of original work, which will form part of the assessment on which your class in the Tripos will be based. The advice that follows relates particularly to dissertations on scientific subjects; if you are doing a dissertation in a discipline which is not, in the narrow sense, scientific, you should listen particularly carefully to the advice of your supervisor and model your work on well-written reviews in the field in which you are working. Nevertheless, much of the advice that follows is applicable to all writing - scientific or otherwise.

• Define your topic: The dissertation must not exceed 6000 words. It is an extended account of a topic or question that lies broadly within the field of one of the courses you are taking. Before you begin, you should spend time defining your topic, discussing this with your supervisor, other members of staff and your colleagues. If you can define your objectives clearly, you will find that the rest of the process is much easier.
• Focus on the essential question: Beware of trying to do too much. You will find that you will need to refine your initial topic to make your dissertation manageable. Remember that, if you try to cover too wide a canvas you will not be able to do your topic justice in the space you are allowed. For example, "The role of genes in cancer" would be too wide but, "Is the xxx gene implicated in cancer of the lung?", would be manageable. Focusing on the essential question is a critical first step; be prepared to spend time on this and interact with your supervisor during this process.
• Writing Style: The dissertation is a scholarly piece of work. That means that you should write it in the style of a scientific document. The exact form depends on what you do, but your dissertation should be divided into sections, reflecting the nature of the evidence that you are reviewing and the arguments should be backed by references, where appropriate. The overall objective is a critical assessment of a restricted topic. This means that part of your dissertation will be devoted to presenting the evidence or data which forms the topic (hence the need for references), and part will be your own assessment of what you have read or otherwise found out. You should make sure that a reader can distinguish which is which.

Sources: The sources of your material can be various. Reading the relevant literature is essential and, at the end of your text, you must provide a list of the references you have quoted. If you quote a reference, it will be assumed you have read it. If you have not, you should refer to the source in which it was cited. Your supervisor will help you with the literature and also point you in the direction of other people who have knowledge in the area you have chosen. The task of locating the relevant literature is made much easier these days by the use of computerised literature searches; if there is a particular key paper in your field of interest, a computer (using Web of Science, for example) can tell you all the more recent scientific papers that have cited it - a particularly useful method for tracking the development of a subject following a key contribution. Resist the temptation to include every paper you have seen or can think of. Most dissertations contain about 20 to 40 references. Do not exceed the latter figure without very careful thought and consultation with your supervisor.

• Hint toward future research: It will often be a good idea to include a separate section setting out promising lines of future research. This could, in some cases, represent a substantial part of your dissertation, and you might approach the writing of this section as if you were preparing a research proposal for a grant-giving body. It is an opportunity for you to display real originality and creativity. You may even lay the foundations for your future research career!
• Proofread multiple times: Short sentences are better than long sentences! Try to be entertaining without being either facetious or colloquial. Remember that a good critic justifies his/her criticism by careful argument. A good critical assessment is a creative process. Do not be afraid of uncertainty. Prune the first version of your dissertation mercilessly.
• Final product: The final product should look like an extended, balanced, informative critique. You should have assessed the various categories of evidence and weighed them. You should point to gaps in the knowledge (see paragraph 7), or to flaws in the evidence. You should say why your topic is important. Beware of starting the work for your dissertation with your mind already made up.

  Return to top

Supplementary information to assist in the preparation of dissertations

Latin, generic and vernacular names.

Latin names of the genera and species in the text etc should be underlined or written in italics. Where a generic name is the same as the last mentioned it may be abbreviated as the initial letter with full stop, eg Agrostis canina and A. tenuis . If in doubt, use the full generic name throughout. Vernacular names of organisms can be used without capital letters unless a proper name is involved eg 'bottle-nosed dolphins', but 'Mediterranean seals'. The Latin name should accompany the first mention of the vernacular name and subsequently either may be used. Anglicised names of higher taxa should not have initial capital letters eg 'carabids'; but not 'Carabidae'.

Figures and tables

Figures and tables can be used to illustrate the essay, compiled or copied complete from original papers or books. Each should be numbered, eg Figure 1, and provided with a caption. They must be referred to in the text, eg 'Table 2 shows ...'.

References should be given in the text by using the author's name with year of publication in brackets - Smith (1992). No comma is required between name and date when the whole reference is in brackets (Smith 1992), but use (Smith 1992; White 1971), (Black, 1972, 1975). If the reference has three or more authors use (Smith et al 1992) or (Smith et al 1992). Place the list of references at the end, in alphabetical order by first author and then date order, with the journal name preferably in full, eg Smith, A., Black, B. & White, E.J. (1967). The ecology of natural communities. Journal of Ecology, 42, 460-53. Or if a book: Smith, A. (1976) Mountains and Moorlands. Collins, London . (Italics for journal and book titles and bold for volume number may be excused for essay purposes). All the references should be accurate and cited by author and date in the text as above - be consistent in using (ed), pp, etc. Please also consult your home Department's guidelines for citation of references.

Notes on literature retrieval

Literature retrieval is more of an art than a science and there are many ways of achieving your goal of finding all/most of the relevant literature on your chosen subject. Experts working in the same field often provide a helpful start, especially if approached in person!

are usually out of date when published, but may provide a useful starting point (eg The Handbook of British Mammals ). Look for authors or titles in Books in Print .

'Trends in';, 'Advances in', 'Progress in', 'Annual Review of',

etc, as well as symposium articles and recent reviews of your subject are also useful, but beware of imitation! The review journals mentioned above are useful as well as the review articles in many ecological journals such as Oikos and Ecology.

Computerised or printed indexing or abstracting services

(including the Internet) may provide lists of references/abstracts from recent journals and earlier literature may be found from Zoological Record (ceased 198?) (Balfour), Biological Abstracts (1926-, SPL), Science Citation Index (1964-, SPL - including papers referring to a particular author), Excerpta Medica (1947 - Medical Library), and bibliographies in papers, etc.

Online services

in Cambridge are available via ISI Web of Science or ATHENS National authentication system, which provide access to MIMAS, EDINA and NISS.

Specialist abstracting services

are also available in print such as Key-word Index of Wildlife Research (Swiss Information Service) and Wildlife Review (North American literature), but these are difficult to find outside personal subscriptions (ask your Supervisor).

Alerting systems

such as Current Contents (SPL and available on the Internet) and even the index to New Scientist (SPL) may help in bringing the review right up to date.

The Internet

gives summaries of research in progress and details of research workers' interests as well as much, much more.

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• Spotlight on...

A love of marine biology and data analysis

Thursday, May 09, 2024 • Katherine Egan Bennett : contact

Kelsey Beavers’ love of the ocean started at a young age. Coming from a family of avid scuba divers, she became a certified junior diver at age 11.

“It was a different world,” Beavers said. “I loved everything about the ocean.”

After graduating from high school, the Austin native moved to Fort Worth to study environmental science at Texas Christian University. One of her professors at TCU knew University of Texas at Arlington biology Professor Laura Mydlarz and encouraged Beavers to continue her studies in Arlington.

“Kelsey came to UTA to pursue a Ph.D. and study coral disease, and she quickly got involved in a large project studying stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) , a rapidly spreading disease that has been killing coral all along Florida’s coast and in 22 Caribbean countries,” Mydlarz said. “She has been a real asset to our team, including being the lead author on a paper we published in Nature Communications last year on the disease.”

As part of her doctoral program, Beavers completed original research studying the gene expression of coral reefs affected by SCTLD. Her research involved scuba diving off the coast of the U.S. Virgin Islands to collect coral tissue samples before returning to the lab for data analysis.

“What we found was that the symbiotic algae living within coral are also affected by SCTLD,” Beavers said. “Our current hypothesis is that when algae move from reef to reef, they may be spreading the disease that has been devastating coral reefs since it first appeared in 2014.”

A large part of Beavers’ dissertation project involved crunching large sets of gene expression data extracted from the coral samples and analyzing it in the context of disease susceptibility and severity.

“The analysis part of the project was so much larger than just using a regular Mac, so I worked with the Texas Advanced Computer Center (TACC) in Austin, which is part of the UT System, using their supercomputers,” Beavers said.

Beavers enjoyed the data analysis part of her project so much that when she saw an opening at TACC for a full-time position, she jumped at the chance. She’s now working there part-time until graduation, when she plans to move to Austin for her new role.

“I’m really looking forward to my new position, as I’ll be able to work on research projects other than my own,” she said. “It will be interesting to be a specialist in data analysis and help other scientists use the TACC supercomputers to solve complex questions.”

As part of the job, she’ll travel to other UT System campuses to educate researchers on how they can use the tools available at TACC.

“I’m really proud of the work Kelsey did in our lab these past few years, and I’m excited to see her thrive after graduation,” Mydlarz said. “Seeing my students succeed is one of the best parts of this job.”

• Apply to UMaine

Maine EPSCoR

Investigating marine biology and developing as a researcher through environmental DNA

By Camryn Sudimick

In the vast expanse of the Earth’s ocean, our planet’s largest ecosystem, lie countless mysteries that have yet to be explored. Dedicated to uncovering such mysteries is Jamie Fogg, a sophomore studying Marine Science at the University of Maine.

Fogg began exploring marine biology during high school when she was involved in a program that selected her to go to Mount Desert Rock and develop her own research project. She documented wounded seals and presented her research at the Maine Science Fair, where she was awarded the Maine Top Scholar Award.

She was introduced to the world of environmental DNA (eDNA) during her first year at UMaine under the mentorship of Kristina Cammen, associate professor of marine mammal science. “I had no idea what eDNA was before,” Fogg explained. “But the Cammen Lab mostly focuses on utilizing genetics to understand marine ecosystems, and eDNA is a significant part of it.” In the Cammen Lab, Fogg has engaged in a diverse array of research activities, contributing her expertise to ongoing projects exploring various aspects of genetics and eDNA analysis for marine species.

Working in the lab opened the door to opportunities with the NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Maine-eDNA project. This past summer Fogg completed a Maine-eDNA internship that split her time between UMaine and Hurricane Island near Vinalhaven, Maine. In this position, she worked alongside Maine-eDNA Ph.D. Candidate Phoebe Jekielek, who aims to develop eDNA tools to help researchers better understand population dynamics, such as the reproductive and larval ecology of scallops, both in aquaculture and wild populations along the coast of Maine. 

Fogg and Jekielek collected both physical plankton samples, as well as eDNA water samples. In the lab, they counted how many scallop larvae were present in the plankton samples, while also conducting eDNA extractions and then performing qPCR analysis from the extractions to detect and quantify the presence of scallop larvae DNA in the sample. By following this procedure, they will be able to compare the number of scallop larvae in the water, as determined by the plankton samples, with the results of the qPCR data, which allowed them to assess the accuracy of the eDNA analysis in detecting the presence of scallop larvae. In addition to the physical plankton samples and eDNA water samples, they collected environmental data, including water turbidity, temperature, depth, and other measurements. Fogg is currently finishing her scallop enumerations. 

While their data analysis is not yet complete, Fogg emphasized the potential implications of the research findings. “I think a big part of this project’s goal is producing research that is tangible to local fishermen,” explained Fogg.  Jekielek’s work is inspired by the emerging scallop aquaculture industry. Her goal is to use findings to engage with and better inform members of the aquaculture industry, to ensure the industry’s long-term sustainability and adaptability.

One dimension of this they are exploring is how different types of seabed substrates impact scallop spawning. “We compared samples from two distinct sites: a soft bottom area and a rocky bottom site,” Fogg explained. One of these areas was near an aquaculture farm, representing cultivated scallop beds, while the other resembled natural scallop habitats. This comparison allows them to gain valuable insights into the differences between aquaculture and natural environments and how they may impact scallop populations. These insights could range from variations in scallop growth rates to differences in shell density or nutrient availability. Such discoveries hold the potential to inform and enhance aquaculture practices.

Fogg’s Maine-eDNA internship has been a rewarding experience. She appreciates the hands-on learning experience and has developed new technical skills,  and the experience led her to be more confident as a researcher. Fogg shared her personal growth experience, stating, “It has helped me really nail down that this is where I want to be, as well as visualize a future for myself in this field.” Fogg was the only Maine-eDNA intern assisting Jekielek in 2023, and while Jekielek is based at Hurricane Island, Fogg spent much of her summer stationed at the lab at UMaine. “Phoebe would come to the lab and teach me a protocol, such as how to do a DNA extraction, and then I would repeat it independently the next day,” Fogg explained. “That definitely helped me gain more independence, as well as confidence.”

In addition to her work with the Cammen Lab and Maine-eDNA, Fogg’s scholarly pursuits have been recognized with a prestigious grant from UMaine’s Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR). Through her CUGR-funded research, Fogg is investigating the oceanographic aspects of marine ecology, with a specific focus on gray seal eDNA. She aims to determine the limitations of this technology for detecting the animals in coastal waters, facilitating the non-invasive monitoring of marine mammal populations. This research provides valuable insight into the conservation and management of marine ecosystems and the capabilities of eDNA technologies. “It is really cool how relatively new these methodologies are, and how we are still developing and improving them,” Fogg expressed. She finds herself drawn toward eDNA because of its non-invasive factors, and she emphasizes its crucial role in revolutionizing environmental monitoring. Fogg recently presented her CUGR research at the University of Maine’s annual student symposium and achieved first place in the natural science category. Additionally, she has recently been awarded the NOAA Hollings Scholarship, which will provide further research opportunities. She expressed that her experiences with the Cammen Lab and Maine-eDNA have undoubtedly helped prepare her for this prestigious scholarship. As Fogg looks ahead to her journey in research, fueled by her fascination with marine ecosystems and the innovative potential of eDNA technologies, she envisions pursuing a Ph.D. and continuing to contribute to the advancement of marine science.

• Home  »  Study  »  Undergraduate  »  Marine Science with Marine Biology BSc

Marine Science with Marine Biology BSc (Hons)

• Field Trips

Specialise in marine biological sciences    

Marine Biology pathway leader - Dr Callum Whyte    

From September 2023 students completing year 2 can decide to move onto this new and exciting Marine Biology pathway. In this programme, students follow the core marine biological modules and also complete a marine biological dissertation and literature review. A new module in marine mammals and megafauna is also introduced giving student the opportunity to explore the ecology and techniques needed to study large marine animals. As the world’s oceans are increasingly under pressure by climate warming and industrial impacts marine biology can help us to understand and protect our precious seas.  

Introducing our NEW module 2023 “Marine Mammals and Megafauna” - exclusive to students selecting the Marine Biology pathway.   

Module leader – Dr Nienke Van Geel    

This course has been designed to offer in depth knowledge on marine mammals and other megafauna (i.e., marine mammals, basking sharks, and seabirds) ecology and focusses on providing experience and in-depth understanding of research study techniques for these species, such as photo-ID, line-transect distance sampling, passive acoustic monitoring, theodolite tracking, (satellite) tagging & tracking, necropsies etc. Students will learn how these techniques are being used to provide data for animal abundance estimation, health monitoring and to elucidate question regarding ecology and what scientists can gain by studying their behaviour. The course will also teach an understanding of current threats they face from factors such as climate change, underwater noise, and entanglement in fishing gear and how science can provide advice to policy makers to secure the conservation of these species.  

FIRST YEAR (SCQF 7) MODULES: All degree streams study the same six modules (see ' Marine Science BSc '): Fundamentals of Marine Physics; Fundamentals of Marine Chemistry; Fundamentals of Marine Geology; Fundamentals of Marine Biology; Maths and Data Science; Marine Field Course  

SECOND YEAR (SCQF 8) MODULES: Physical Oceanography; Chemical Oceanography; Marine Biology; Marine Geology; Data Science. Optional - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Advanced Maths and Programming; Marine Resources.   

THIRD YEAR (SCQF 9) MODULES: Core: Literature Review (relevant to marine biology); Marine Microbial Ecology; Marine Zoology; Marine Mammals and Megafauna. Select 2 from: Marine Pollution; Marine Instrumentation and Data; Marine Biogeochemical Cycling; Marine Biotechnology; Marine Robotics; Ocean Circulation and Climate; Marine Conservation.   

FOURTH YEAR (SCQF 10) MODULES: Dissertation (marine biology topic); Behaviour and Biological Clocks; Deep-Sea Ecosystems. Select two from: Marine Environmental Impact Assessment, Coastal and Shelf Sea Dynamics; Aquaculture; Fisheries Ecology; Marine Modelling; Defining the Marine Carbon Cycle; Polar Seas  

Entry requirements are the same as for the UHI Marine Science BSc programme.

‘Tropical Ecosystems’ optional tropical marine biology field course.  

El Quseir, Egypt. Open to all year 1-3.   

 ‘Marine Mammals and Seabird Observations’   

Marine Mammal and Megafauna 3 rd year module field trip – available only to students on the Marine Biology pathway.   

When do I need to decide when to join the Marine Biology pathway?   

Semester 2, Year 2 as the core modules start in semester 1 Year 3.   

Can I take Arctic Studies and Marine Biology   

Unfortunately you can only join one pathway. By choosing Arctic Studies you would miss your core modules for Marine Biology. However, you might be able to take some polar modules and still take the core Marine Biology modules.   

Can I take Oceanography and Robotics and Marine Biology    

As mentioned earlier, you can only join one pathway. You might be able to take Advanced Maths and Programming (year 2) and Marine Robotics (year 3). 

Do I have to join the Red Sea field trip?    

You do not have to join the Red Sea field trip, but you need to participate in one of the two proposed field trips; Red Sea or Seol Mara (local to SAMS) observing.   

Do I need to complete a marine biology literature review and dissertation?    

Yes – you must have completed a marine biological Literature Review (year 3) and a marine biological dissertation (year 4).   

Can I join an international exchange such as to Coastal Carolina University in USA?    

Sadly you cannot join an international exchange as the marine biology core modules are in semester 1 and 2 in year 3.   

I am not taking the marine biology pathway but can I still go on the field trips?   

Some field trips are open to students (e.g. Red Sea is open to all year 1-3). The Marine Mammal and Megafauna field trip ‘Marine Mammals and Seabird Observations’ is a closed field trip only available to those students joining the module and hence the marine biology pathway.   

I am not taking the marine biology pathway but can I still take Marine Mammals and Megafauna module?

This module is exclusive to Marine Biology students.

I am not taking the marine biology pathway but can I still take Behaviour and Biological Clocks module?    

As with the Megafauna module, this module is exclusive to Marine Biology students.

Course overview

Are you ready to APPLY?

Take the first step towards a marine science career...

Get in Touch

SAMS is Scotland’s largest and oldest independent marine science organisation, dedicated to delivering marine science.

SAMS, Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA

+44 (0)1631 559000

[email protected]

It would be great to hear from you! If you got any questions, please do not hesitate to send us a message. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

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A Selection Of Marine Biology Dissertation Ideas To Explore

Marine biology is a diverse topic and makes for interesting dissertation topic. At the same time marine biology is a vast subject and a generic paper will not be of much interest to average reader. If you want to impress your professor you will have to come up with something more specific and a topic that allows for more detailed research. You will have to select something that is unique and original. Without the right topic you cannot hope to make your paper stand out from the rest. Here are is a list of few topics to help you make up your mind.

The advantages of a proper idea

The world under the sea is vast and mighty. There are so many different creatures and different ecosystems. The creatures have evolved over thousands of years and even when science has made progress over so many years, many things still remain unexplored. There are creatures under the depths of the sea that have not been catalogued or there are different water chemistries which have not been explained. The dissertation is a valuable contribution to marine biology and hence you will have to work on something that has not been covered before.

List of ideas to work on:

• The rarest mollusks found at the bottom of the sea.
• What makes the mantis shrimp different from the other invertebrates?
• Describing the process of coral formation and coral mating
• The adaptability shown by lion fish and how it is endangering the ecosystem
• How have the seas and oceans adapted to the growing levels of pollution.
• The process of creating sea water at home for aquaria and how effective is it?
• Can corals be harvested in a sustainable environment?
• The best attribute of an octopus. How have they evolved over the centuries? Is it the most intelligent creature living in the sea?
• How does marine biology draw parallel with the evolution of species?
• Illustrate the part played by planktons in the marine ecosystem.
• Describe the reason why marine fishes and invertebrates are so much more colorful?
• Describe the reproduction process of moray eel
• The various adaptations by the fishes living in the depths of the sea
• Some of the creatures found at the very bottom of the sea and how have they adapted to the lack of sunlight?
• Lifecycle of a fish, that migrates from the sea to freshwater for spawning. Give reason for the behavior.

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Marine Biology Dissertation Ideas: 18 Problems You Can Write About

When it comes to Marine biology, the students need to come up with term dissertation papers on various topics. These theses take the time to complete as they require the student to do a lot of research as well as a lot of homework. One tip which is very useful for marine biology students, in particular, is that they should not wait until the end of the term to start with this homework.

Topics can be freelance ones, or the instructor gives out dissertation topics to the students. The students should then immediately start their research on the homework given. They should be able to collect enough and more freelance material on it. This material may not be easily available. Hence, the student should start this collection and gathering process as soon as he or she receives the essay topic or is asked to write a dissertation on a topic of his or her choice.

Here are some essay topics which will help marine biology students.

• The white whale population. How this can be increased and what efforts can be taken or are taken by international organizations
• How marine animals are made extinct or are impacted by asteroids
• What are the practices to manage blooms of artificial plankton
• The effect of nitrogen cycles and carbon on the fish population
• How is global warming impacting the population of sea fish
• The state of marine commercial fishing
• How extinction can be prevented of endangered species
• How do oil spills impact marine wildlife
• Is there a reason to worry with regards zooplankton and Res tides
• White whale hunting – what are the possible outcomes
• When is seafood dangerous for consumption
• Overfishing which is in the Atlantic Ocean and what are the possible solutions to it
• Should fish hunting be allowed and in what conditions
• How can fish farming be developed in the country
• How is the alteration in the weather conditions changing the growth of the fish population
• How are the current temperatures impacting fish grounds
• What are the threats to the marine ecosystem
• How can soft muddy creatures at the bottom be preserved?

These are just some of the problems which are faced in marine life and which are relevant topics to write a thesis or essay upon.

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Administered by san jose state university for a consortium of seven csu campuses dedicated to excellence in the marine sciences, thesis defense by molly alvino – may 20th, "swim bladder morphology influences the responses of nearshore rockfishes to barotrauma", a thesis defense by molly alvino.

Fisheries and Conservation Biology Lab

Live-Stream | May 20th, 2024 at 4:00 pm PDT

Rockfishes ( Sebastes  spp.) are ecologically and economically important fishes in the continental shelf and slope regions of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. All species within the  Sebastes  genus have a buoyancy organ, the swim bladder, which is sensitive to rapid changes in pressure that occur when fish are caught and brought up to the surface. Although all rockfishes have swim bladders, pressure-related injuries (barotrauma) affect rockfish species differently. To determine if swim bladder morphology can explain differences in barotrauma among rockfishes, semi-pelagic (Blue rockfish,  S. mystinus  and Olive rockfish,  S. serranoides ) and benthic (Gopher rockfish,  S. carnatus  and Vermilion rockfish,  S. miniatus ) species were captured via hook-and-line and manually recompressed using a hyperbaric chamber. Decompressed fish were sacrificed and seven different swim bladder morphological features were quantified and related to external barotrauma injuries observed at the time of capture. Benthic Vermilion rockfish displayed a greater incidence of barotraumatic injuries and had thicker swim bladder membranes with a higher tearing threshold than the semi-pelagic species. Conversely, the swim bladders of Blue rockfish were significantly thinner and more elastic than Vermilion rockfish, and experienced fewer barotraumatic injuries than both benthic species. Despite occupying different habitat zones and responding differently to barotrauma, many swim bladder measurements were similar between Olive and Gopher rockfish. Additionally, the number and severity of barotraumatic injuries significantly decreased as total length increased in Blue rockfish, consistent with a significant increase in tearing threshold and swim bladder membrane thickness with total length. This research furthers the understanding of pressure-related injuries among different rockfish species, while informing fishery managers of the swim bladder morphology directly impacting interspecific discard mortality rates.

Molly grew up in and around the water, and once she was introduced to SCUBA diving in high school, she knew it was what she wanted to do with her life. Following this passion, Molly went on to graduate from Northeastern University in 2020 with a B.S. in Marine Science. Wanting to explore the West Coast, she packed up and moved to California to attend Moss Landing Marine Laboratories within the Fisheries and Conservation Biology Lab. At MLML, Molly has worked on a number of different research projects including the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP), Shallow Water Mini Landers, Benthic Observation Survey System (BOSS), Surf Zone sampling, and Rockfish Ocean Acidification. When she's not at the lab, you can find Molly doing Crossfit, trying out new food spots, or playing with her cat, Crouton.

Dissertations Completed for Doctor of Philosophy, 2023–2024

Below you will find the dissertation titles, departments, and advisers for 2022–2023 Ph.D. graduates, separated by graduation date. If you notice information that needs to be updated, please email Scott Behm at [email protected] . 

Mohammed Syed Ali “Knowledge and Conversion in the Making of Western History, a Philosophical Investigation.” History Prasenjit Duara, Advisor(s).

Jacqueline Mercier Allain ““Make Me Live Long Enough to See Such Things”:  Citizenship, Labor, and Population Politics in the Nineteenth-Century French Caribbean.” History Laurent Dubois and Barry Gaspar, Advisor(s).

Chunjing Bao “The Mast Cell-Neuronal Axis in Anaphylaxis.” Pathology Soman Abraham, Advisor(s).

Alina Jade Barnett “Interpretable Machine Learning with Medical Applications.” Computer Science Cynthia Rudin, Advisor(s).

Lysle Thomas Boller “Essays on International Tax and Firm Behavior.” Economics Allan Collard-Wexler, Advisor(s).

Isabel Louise Bradley “Mapping Manioc: Grounded Relations in the Caribbean.” Romance Studies Laurent Dubois and Deborah Jenson, Advisor(s).

Samuel Mark Brotkin “Describing Working Alliance Longitudinally in a Peer Support Intervention for Adolescents and Young Adults with Chronic Illness.” Psychology and Neuroscience Melanie J. Bonner, Advisor(s).

David Anthony Buch “Bayesian Nonparametric Methods for Epidemiology and Clustering.” Statistical Science David Dunson, Advisor(s).

Gregory Patrick Burke “Information Intermediation in Opaque Markets: Evidence from Equity Crowdfunding Analyst Reports.” Business Administration William Mayhew, Advisor(s).

Sasha Burwell “Synaptic Control of Dopamine as a Driver of Reward Learning.” Neurobiology Michael Tadross and Rich Mooney, Advisor(s).

Erin E. Campbell “The Influence of Early Sensory and Linguistic Experience on Lexical Development.” Psychology and Neuroscience Elika Bergelson, Advisor(s).

Shounak Chattopadhyay “Incorporating Scalability and Structural Constraints in Bayesian Modeling.” Statistical Science David Dunson, Advisor(s).

Ruoyu Chen “A Combined Experimental and Modeling Approach Unraveling the Mechanics Behind Drying-induced Fractures in Soils.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Manolis Veveakis, Advisor(s).

Jie Cheng “Structural Investigation of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Host Immune Response.” Biochemistry Pei Zhou, Advisor(s).

Brandie Quarles Chidyagwai “Demographic Consequences of Dispersal Through Space and Time.” Biology Kathleen Donohue, Advisor(s).

Colleen Skyler Cochrane “Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) of Novel Antibiotics Targeting LpxH and LpxC in Lipid A Biosynthesis.” Chemistry Pei Zhou, Advisor(s).

Jessica Nicole Coleman “Development and Piloting of a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Gynecologic Cancer Survivors Undergoing Pelvic Exams.” Psychology and Neuroscience Rebecca Shelby and Eve Puffer, Advisor(s).

James Avery Coppock “Development of Imaging-Based Models for Analyzing the Spatiotemporal Function of Intervertebral Discs.” Biomedical Engineering Louis DeFrate, Advisor(s).

Riley Joseph Deutsch “A Multiplexed, Multi-scale Optical Imaging Platform to Quantify Tumor Metabolic Heterogeneity.” Biomedical Engineering Nimmi Ramanujam, Advisor(s).

Pritam Dey “Some Advances in Statistical Modeling of Brain Structural Connectomes.” Statistical Science David Dunson, Advisor(s).

Gianluca Di Muro “Innovations in Decompression Sickness Prediction and Adaptive Ascent Algorithms.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Laurens Howle, Advisor(s).

Enmao Diao “Efficient and Collaborative Methods for Distributed Machine Learning.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Vahid Tarokh, Advisor(s).

Stephen Lee Downing “Abstract Music for an Imaginary Film: Nos. 1-9 for Two Pianos and Two Percussion, and Composing Memory: Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Unremembered.” Music John Supko, Advisor(s).

Rebecca Ellen Dudley “The Use of U.S. Diplomatic Foreign Policy for Conflict Resolution.” Political Science Kyle Beardsley, Advisor(s).

Aaron Christopher Ebert “The Second Sin: A Study of the Vice of Envy in the Thought of St. Augustine.” Religion J. Warren Smith, Advisor(s).

Amanda Fusa Ennis “I. Development of Sulfonyl Piperazine LpxH Inhibitors Against Multi-Drug Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria II. Exploration Towards New TRPM8 Agonists for Dry Eye Disease.” Chemistry Jiyong Hong, Advisor(s).

Savannah Ruth Erwin “Developing a Sustainable Model of Text-Delivered Peer Support for Undergraduate Mental Health.” Psychology and Neuroscience Nancy L. Zucker, Advisor(s).

Yu  Feng “Robust Information Storage and Consolidation in Attractor Neural Networks.” Physics Nicolas Brunel, Advisor(s).

August Hope Frechette “Pore-Scale Flow Mechanisms and the Hydrodynamic Porosity of Porous Media in Surface Water Treatment and Groundwater Remediation.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Nico Hotz and Zbigniew Kabala, Advisor(s).

Anna Louise Gilpin “Self-Healing Hyaluronic Acid as a Viscosupplement and Biomolecule Carrier to Mitigate Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis.” Biomedical Engineering Shyni Varghese, Advisor(s).

Nikos Gkiokas “The Afterlives of Archaic Greek Kouroi: An Archaeology of a Greek Sculptural Type.” Art, Art History, and Visual Studies Sheila Dillon, Advisor(s).

Daniela Goya Tocchetto “Racial Hierarchy-based Discrimination in a Multiracial Power Structure.” Business Administration Aaron Kay, Advisor(s).

Jesse Nelson Granger “Behavioral and Geophysical Factors Influencing Success in Long Distance Navigation.” Biology Sonke Johnsen, Advisor(s).

Catherine Aspden Grodensky “A Study of Plea Bargaining, Political Power, and Case Outcomes in Local Criminal Courts.” Public Policy Kristin Goss, Advisor(s).

Xiaoshu Gui “Compliance Under Pressure: Strategic Bureaucratic Control and Policy Implementation in China.” Political Science Melanie Manion, Advisor(s).

Kristen Elizabeth Hagan “Advancing Compact, Multiplexed, and Wavefront-Controlled Designs for Coherent Optical Systems.” Biomedical Engineering Joseph Izatt, Advisor(s).

Xu Han “Electrical and Optical Control of Bacterial Membrane Potential and Growth.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Christine Payne, Advisor(s).

Aili Hao “Structural Studies of Bacterial Cell Wall Synthesis and Remodeling.” Biochemistry Seok-Yong Lee, Advisor(s).

Kendrick Dewayne Hardison “Essays on the Application of Game Theory in International Relations and Law.” Political Science Bahar Leventoglu, Advisor(s).

Daniel Clark Hlavaty “Exploring the Canonical and Non-Canonical Functions of Desmosomes.” Cell Biology Terry Lechler, Advisor(s).

Karn Imwattana “Introgression, Population Structure, and Systematics of the Sphagnum capillifolium Complex.” Biology A. Jonathan Shaw, Advisor(s).

Lindsay Taylor Ives “Understanding Psychosocial Treatment Non-Response in Children with Functional Abdominal Pain.” Psychology and Neuroscience Nancy L. Zucker, Advisor(s).

Jayanth Jawahar “Genetic Analysis of Fitness Determinants in Phocaeicola vulgatus.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology John Rawls, Advisor(s).

Nicholas David Jones “Revolution and the City: Marxist Anthropologies in the Interwar Realist Novel.” Carolina Duke Program in German Studies Richard Langston, Advisor(s).

Alexander Edward Karsten “The Theognidea in Reperformance: A Rhetorical Rereading.” Classical Studies José González, Advisor(s).

Cecelia Kelly “Interactions Between the Microbiota and Host Transcription Factor HNF4A in the Intestinal Epithelium Regulate Intestinal Inflammation Throughout the Lifespan.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology John Rawls, Advisor(s).

Christopher Lewis Kilner “The Impacts of Disruptive Environmental Change on Vital Microbial Ecosystems.” Ecology Jean Gibert, Advisor(s).

Dillon Elizabeth King “Sex Differences in Mitochondrial Function and Susceptibility: Mechanisms of Establishment and Evolutionary Origins.” Environment Joel Meyer and Susan Murphy, Advisor(s).

Sinja Küppers “Marginalized Voices and Nontraditional Pathways in Higher Education in the Late Roman Empire.” Classical Studies William Johnson, Advisor(s).

Oluwadamilola Oluwatoyin Lawal “Uncovering the Role of Astrocyte-Secreted Thrombospondins and Their Neuronal Receptor α2δ-1 in Goal-Directed Actions.” Neurobiology Cagla Eroglu, Advisor(s).

Gabriella Anne Levy “Variation in Individuals' Responses to Violence Against Civilians.” Political Science Kyle Beardsley and Livia Schubiger, Advisor(s).

Undraa Lhamsuren “The Colors of My Skin. The Making of Black German Identity.” Carolina Duke Program in German Studies Priscilla Layne, Advisor(s).

Jennifer Ying Li “Synaptic Mechanisms Underlying Sensory Processing in Visual Cortex.” Neurobiology Lindsey Glickfeld, Advisor(s).

Mochi Liao “Toward Optimal Rainfall – Hydrologic Correction of Precipitation to Close the Water Budget in Headwater Basins.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Ana Barros, Advisor(s).

Chen-An Lin “Wait-Time Based Pricing for Queueing Systems: Optimality, Mechanism Design, and Strategic Delay.” Business Administration Kevin Shang and Peng Sun, Advisor(s).

Zoe Nathania Loh “Nuclear PTEN Regulates Thymidylate Biosynthesis and Cellular Sensitivity to Antifolate Treatment.” Pathology Ming Chen, Advisor(s).

Amanda Caroline Lohmann “Ecosystem Impacts of Variable Recruitment in Antarctic Krill Investigated with Long-term Monitoring and Archived ADCP Backscatter Data.” Ecology Douglas Nowacek, Advisor(s).

Vladimir Lukin “Soviet Computers, Communist Robots: Cultural Epistemologies of Digital Media.” Literature Mark Hansen, Advisor(s).

Yu Ma “Essays on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.” Environmental Policy Christopher Timmins, Advisor(s).

Marayna Elisabeth Banea Martinez “Three Papers on Public Schools and Political Participation Among Americans of Color.” Public Policy Nicholas Carnes and D. Sunshine Hillygus, Advisor(s).

Kaitlin Kiernan McConnell “Metabolic Mechanisms of Nutritionally Regulated Hormone Signaling on T Helper Cell Function.” Immunology Nancie J. MacIver, Advisor(s).

Ariana Mihai “E Protein Regulation of the T Cell Receptor Alpha – T Cell Receptor Delta Locus.” Immunology Michael Krangel, Advisor(s).

Charles Eli Nathan “The Good Old Days: The Concept of the Golden Age in Greek Political Thought.” Political Science Michael Gillespie, Advisor(s).

Mark William Nemecek “Transfer Learning in Value-based Methods with Successor Features.” Computer Science Ronald Parr, Advisor(s).

Hunter Newman “Adenosine Delivery to Mitigate Bone Disorders.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Shyni Varghese, Advisor(s).

Thai Son Nguyen “Effective Field Theory Studies of Few-nucleon Systems: Fundamental Symmetry Violation, Electromagnetic Interactions, and Direct Detection of Dark Matter.” Physics Roxanne Springer, Advisor(s).

Songkhun Nillasithanukroh “The Demand for Businessperson Politicians: How Do Businesspeople Win Electoral Nominations and Votes?.” Political Science Edmund Malesky, Advisor(s).

Claire Elaine Otero “The Role of Maternal Antibodies in Prevention of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection.” Pathology Sallie Permar and Herman Staats, Advisor(s).

Caitlin Elizabeth Gorse Paisley “Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Retinal Astrocyte Death During Development.” Neurobiology Jeremy Kay, Advisor(s).

Kay Palopoli-Trojani “Quantifying Biomarkers for Brain Disease State Monitoring and Intervention.” Biomedical Engineering Warren Grill, Advisor(s).

Divya Pande “Advanced Metamaterials for Beamforming and Physical Layer Processing.” Electrical and Computer Engineering David Smith, Advisor(s).

Ekta Jayantilal Patel “Managing (Unconventional) Water: Essays on Expert Knowledge, Media Framings, and Stakeholder Debates.” Environmental Policy Erika Weinthal, Advisor(s).

Shweta Jayant Patwa “Synthesizing Linked Data and Detecting Per-Query Gaps Under Differential Privacy.” Computer Science Ashwin Machanavajjhala, Advisor(s).

Angela Marie Pisoni “Evaluating State-Based Network Dynamics in Anhedonia.” Psychology and Neuroscience Moira J. Smoski, Advisor(s).

Karsten Mikhail Poulsen “Characterizing and Predicting the Interaction of Proteins with Nanoparticles.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Christine Payne, Advisor(s).

Vijyendra Ramesh “Postmitotic Dynamics in Chromatin Modification and Regulatory Topology Underlie Cerebellar Granule Maturation.” Molecular Cancer Biology Anne West, Advisor(s).

Yinhao Ren “Read Like a Radiologist: Cancer Detection Using Multi-view Correspondence in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis.” Biomedical Engineering Joseph Lo, Advisor(s).

Griffin Steven Riddler “Rulers and Producers: How State Interventions Shape the Political Economy of Production.” Political Science Melanie Manion and Edmund Malesky, Advisor(s).

Daniel L. Rodriguez “A Multilevel High-throughput Sequencing Approach for Identifying Microbial Community Interactions and Informing Precision Microbiome Engineering.” Biomedical Engineering Claudia Gunsch, Advisor(s).

Amanda Noelle Rossillo “A 3D Geometric Morphometric Investigation of Relatedness in the Modern Human, Chimpanzee, and Homo naledi Postcranial Skeleton.” Evolutionary Anthropology Steven Churchill, Advisor(s).

Viola Luolan Rothschild “Refocusing on Repression: Institutions of Everyday Social Control in China.” Political Science Melanie Manion, Advisor(s).

Sayan  Roychowdhury “Investigating the Influence of Red Blood Cell Interactions on Large-Scale Cancer Cell Transport: Bridging the Gap through Advances in Computational Techniques.” Biomedical Engineering Amanda Randles, Advisor(s).

Catherine Lane Scher “The Effects of Global Change on Avian Biodiversity.” Ecology James Clark, Advisor(s).

Elizabeth Brooke Schrader Polczer ““Those Who Love Me Will Keep My Word”: Narrative Variants in New Testament Gospel Stories.” Religion Jennifer Knust, Advisor(s).

Stephanie Alexandra Pahl Schuette “Identifying Modifiable Factors Associated with Psychological Health in Women Experiencing Infertility.” Psychology and Neuroscience Moira J. Smoski, Advisor(s).

Kavinayan Pillaiar Sivakumar “Adaptive Planning in Changing Policies and Environments.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Michael Zavlanos, Advisor(s).

Nathan L. Smith “The Structure of Aesthetic Experience.” Literature Fredric Jameson, Advisor(s).

Nicholas Mark Smolenski “Sounding Reconstruction at St Paul's Cathedral, 1660–1714.” Music Roseen Giles, Advisor(s).

Xirui Song “RNA Aptamers that Internalize into Cancer Cells for Drug Delivery.” Pharmacology and Cancer Biology Bruce Sullenger, Advisor(s).

Brian Daniel Spisiak “Isaiah Berlin's Liberal Humanism.” Political Science Michael Gillespie, Advisor(s).

Lyla June Stanland “EBV-Associated Gastric Cancer: From Initial Infection to Unique Therapeutic Approaches.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Micah Luftig, Advisor(s).

Alexander John Steiger “Algorithms for Rectangular Robot Motion Planning.” Computer Science Pankaj Agarwal, Advisor(s).

Tao Tang “Three Essays of Bayesian Inference on Dynamical System, Continuous Time Markov Chain, and Low Dimensional Structure.” Mathematics David Dunson, Advisor(s).

Yuqi Tang “Multi-spectral Deep Tissue Quantitative Photoacoustic Imaging.” Biomedical Engineering Junjie Yao, Advisor(s).

Erin C. Taylor “Algorithms for Clustering, Partitioning, and Planning.” Computer Science Pankaj Agarwal, Advisor(s).

Audrey Nicole Thellman “Seasons in the Stream: River Ecosystem Phenology in a Changing Climate.” Ecology Emily Bernhardt, Advisor(s).

Priscilla Teresa Torres “Community Dispute Resolution and International Peacebuilding: Competitors or Complementary Actors? Evidence from Liberia.” Political Science Kyle Beardsley, Advisor(s).

Austin Jacob Wadle “Microbe-Mineral Interactions: Mercury Homogenization, Bacterial Colloid Surface Acidity, and Protocol Transfeminism..” Civil and Environmental Engineering Heileen Hsu-Kim, Advisor(s).

Chenghong Wang “Encrypted Data Management Systems with Tunable Privacy.” Computer Science Ashwin Machanavajjhala and Kartik Nayak, Advisor(s).

Rui Wang “Efficient Low-Resource Training with Pre-Trained Deep Neural Networks.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Ricardo Henao, Advisor(s).

Tianlin Wang “Structure and Electronic Properties of Quaternary Chalcogenide Semiconductors from First Principles.” Materials Science and Engineering Volker Blum, Advisor(s).

Pei-Yu Wei “Strategic Third-Party Actors in Economic Sanctions.” Political Science David Siegel, Advisor(s).

Janai R. Williams-Doria “The Neuroprotective Effects of Exercise Against Menopause Induced Alterations in Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathogenesis.” Psychology and Neuroscience Christina Williams and Staci Bilbo, Advisor(s).

Nathaniel Curran Wilson “Plasmonics for On-Chip Photodetectors and Light Sources.” Physics Maiken Mikkelsen, Advisor(s).

Dana Louise Wright “Insights Into the Migratory Patterns and Seasonal Distribution of One of the World’s Rarest Whales, the North Pacific Right Whale.” Marine Science and Conservation Andrew Read, Advisor(s).

Shiqi Xu “Computational Bio-Optical Imaging with Novel Sensor Arrays.” Biomedical Engineering Roarke Horstmeyer, Advisor(s).

Tian Yang “Reprogramming Enzyme Specificity through Multi-substrate Co-evolution.” Biomedical Engineering Michael Lynch, Advisor(s).

Xiaoxuan Yang “Improving the Efficiency and Robustness of In-Memory Computing in Emerging Technologies.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Hai Li and Yiran Chen, Advisor(s).

Yunqi Yang “Programmable Synthesis and Supramolecular Self-assembly of Stable DNA Nanoparticles.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Stefan Zauscher, Advisor(s).

Boyang Zhang “Control through Constraint.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Henri Gavin, Advisor(s).

Chen Zhang “Improved Localization Precision in 3D Single-Particle Localization Microscopy via Off-Center Sampling and Its Applications in Living Systems.” Chemistry Kevin Welsher, Advisor(s).

Haoran Zhang “Development of Novel Optical Instrumentations and Algorithms for Early Cancer Detection.” Biomedical Engineering Adam Wax, Advisor(s).

Qiru Zhang “Municipal Bond Credit Rating Access and Retail Investors’ Transaction Costs.” Business Administration Bill Mayew and Kathrine Schipper, Advisor(s).

Xiao Zhang “Proactive and Passive Performance Optimization of IP Anycast.” Computer Science Bruce Maggs and Xiaowei Yang, Advisor(s).

Xiaolong Zhang “Understanding and Predicting the Dynamics of Scalar Turbulence Using Multiscale Analysis, Computational Simulations, and Stochastic Models.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Andrew Bragg, Advisor(s).

Zhendian Zhang “Charge Transfer and Chiral Imprinting on Nanoparticles.” Chemistry David Beratan, Advisor(s).

Mingyuan Zheng “Self-assembly of Frustrated and Disordered Systems --  Equilibrium Microphases and Out-of-Equilibrium Active Matter.” Chemistry Patrick Charbonneau, Advisor(s).

Alessandro Zito “Ecological Modeling via Bayesian Nonparametric Species Sampling Priors.” Statistical Science David Dunson, Advisor(s).

Taylor Jane Abele “Apoptotic Signaling Clears Engineered Salmonella in an Organ-Specific Manner.” Immunology Edward Miao, Advisor(s).

Daniel Roberto Adrianzen Alvarez “Mathematical Modeling of Topical Drug Delivery in Women’s Health.” Biomedical Engineering David Katz, Advisor(s).

Tanouir Aloui “Mass Spectrometry Technologies for Spaceflight Applications.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Jeffrey T. Glass and Jason J. Amsden, Advisor(s).

Alexa Rae Anderson “Engineering the Microstructure and Spatial Bioactivity of Granular Biomaterials to Guide Vascular Patterning.” Biomedical Engineering Tatiana Segura, Advisor(s).

Dimitra Apostolidou “Mechanical and Thermal Stability of Tandem Repeats of Highly-Bioluminescent Protein NanoLuc.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Piotr Marszalek, Advisor(s).

Casey Michelle Baker “Neural Network Approaches for Cortical Circuit Dissection and Calcium Imaging Data Analysis.” Biomedical Engineering Yiyang Gong, Advisor(s).

Clayton James Becker “JNK Signaling Mediates Glial Proliferation in the Regenerating Zebrafish Spinal Cord.” Cell Biology Kenneth Poss, Advisor(s).

Julia Anastasia Bingham “Knowledge and Power through Pluralisms and Relationality in the Governance of Salmon on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.” Marine Science and Conservation Grant Murray, Advisor(s).

Baran Bodur “Measurement of Atmospheric Flux-Weighted Charged-Current νₑ - ¹⁶O Cross Section with the Super-Kamiokande Experiment.” Physics Kate Scholberg, Advisor(s).

Mary Rose Branch “Defining MAP4K3-mediated Signaling Pathways that Regulate mTORC1 Activation and Beyond.” Neurobiology Albert La Spada, Advisor(s).

Zhengguo Cai “Discovery of RNA-Targeted Small Molecules by Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) Study and Machine Learning.” Chemistry Amanda Hargrove, Advisor(s).

Danwei Cai “Speaker Representation Learning under Self-supervised and Knowledge Transfer Setting.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Ming Li and Xin Li, Advisor(s).

Zexin Cai “Advancing Deep-Generated Speech and Defending against Its Misuse.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Ming Li and Xin Li, Advisor(s).

Shiwei Cao “Design and Inference Methods for Randomized Clinical Trials.” Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Sin-Ho Jung, Advisor(s).

Boning Chen “Molecular Mechanisms of Replication-Coupled Chromatin Assembly and Maturation.” Molecular Cancer Biology David MacAlpine, Advisor(s).

Ouyang Chen “Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of miRNA-induced Pain and Itch.” Cell Biology Ru-Rong Ji, Advisor(s).

Lucy  Chikwetu “Toward Real-time, High-performance, and Generalizable Eating Episode Detection and Postprandial Carbohydrate Content Classification Using Non-invasive Wearables.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Rabih Younes, Advisor(s).

Danielle Nicole Clark “The Role of IFN-γ and STAT1 Signaling in Neuronal Excitability and Behavior.” Immunology Anthony Filiano and Mari Shinohara, Advisor(s).

Kip D. Coonley “Dynamics of Electrostatic Systems for Energy Conversion Applications.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Brian Mann, Advisor(s).

Joshua Alexander Crittenden “Joint Bacterial-Fungal Consortia for the In-Situ Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Estuarine Sediments.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Claudia Gunsch, Advisor(s).

Elizabeth Jean Curvino “Engaging Natural Antibody Responses with Nanomaterials for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.” Biomedical Engineering Joel Collier, Advisor(s).

Kaitlyn Camilla Daly “Refining Messaging Strategies to Increase Efficacy of Healthy Eating Interventions Among U.S. Black Christians.” Nursing Isaac Lipkus and Tolu Oyesanya, Advisor(s).

Marcello Thomas DeLuca “Modeling DNA Origami Self Assembly and Organization at Long Length and Time Scales.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Gaurav Arya, Advisor(s).

Erin Elizabeth Denison “Essays on the Economics of Education.” Economics Peter Arcidiacono, Advisor(s).

Europe Bailey DiCillo “Patterns of Autoantibody Expression in Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Revealed Through the Development of an Autoantigen Discovery Technology.” Immunology David Pisetsky, Advisor(s).

Bernardo Alessandro Dionisi “Essays on the Direction of Technical Change.” Business Administration Ashish Arora, Advisor(s).

Emma Leigh Dolan “Breast Cancer Cells Exhibit a Non-Linear Proliferative Dose Response to Progestins.” Pharmacology and Cancer Biology Donald McDonnell and Susan Murphy, Advisor(s).

Maya Nicole Evanitsky “Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Zebrafish Skin Development.” Genetics and Genomics Stefano Di Talia, Advisor(s).

Brooks Jeffrey Frederickson “Quilt for Yarn/Wire and Instrumental Objects, a Three-Episode Podcast Series About the Creative Practice of Matmos.” Music John Supko, Advisor(s).

Qi Gao “Develop Novel Statistical and Computational Methods for Omics Data Analysis.” Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Jichun Xie, Advisor(s).

Jiannan Gao “Nonlinear Light-Matter Interactions Enabled by Subwavelength Nanostructures.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Natalia Litchinitser, Advisor(s).

Nina Marie Geronimo Garcia “Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms that Lead to Tumor Recurrence and Acquired Therapy Resistance in Cancer.” Pharmacology and Cancer Biology James Alvarez and David MacAlpine, Advisor(s).

Behzad Golshaei “Finite Element Modeling of Biological Systems.” Biomedical Engineering Christoph Schmidt and Daniel Kiehart, Advisor(s).

Cait Elizabeth Hamele Greene “Single-Cell Technologies and Single-Cycle Viruses as Tools to Understand and Prevent Severe Influenza Disease.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Nicholas Heaton, Advisor(s).

Nathan Guerin “New Computational Methods to Predict Cancer Resistance Mutations and Design D-Peptide Therapeutics.” Computer Science Bruce Donald, Advisor(s).

Rylee Kathryn Hackley “Comparative Analysis of Transcriptional Response to Stress and Carbohydrate Availability in Haloarchaea.” Genetics and Genomics Amy Schmid and Gregory Wray, Advisor(s).

Richard Arlen Hall “Feasibility and Stability Results for Systems with Externally Triggered Switching.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Leila J. Bridgeman, Advisor(s).

Edward Thor Hanson “Dynamic Deep Learning Acceleration with Co-Designed Hardware Architecture.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Yiran Chen, Advisor(s).

Ali Hasan “Representation Learning for High Dimensional Stochastic Processes and Rare Events.” Biomedical Engineering Sina Farsiu and Vahid Tarokh, Advisor(s).

Amanda Taylor Heimbrook “Optimizing Surface Topographies for 3D Printed Metallic Orthopedic Implants.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Kenneth Gall, Advisor(s).

Bonnie Marie Jones Hepler “Exploring Birthing Parent Needs During the Early Postpartum Period with Emphasis on Sleep and Interactions between Healthcare Team Members, Infants and Birthing Parents.” Nursing Sharron Docherty, Advisor(s).

Minghao Hu “Sampling Strategies and Neural Processing for Array Cameras.” Electrical and Computer Engineering David Brady and Michael Gehm, Advisor(s).

Qinwen Huang “Deep Learning Algorithms for Automating and Accelerating the Cryo-EM Data Processing Pipeline.” Computer Science Alberto Bartesaghi, Advisor(s).

Ouwen Huang “Deep Learning Image Enhancement for Point of Care Ultrasound.” Biomedical Engineering Mark Palmeri, Advisor(s).

Anjing Huang “Unraveling In-Cloud Lightning Development Through Ground-Based and Space-Borne Observations.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Steven Cummer, Advisor(s).

Ellery Jensen Jones “Atherosclerotic Risk of Branched Chain Amino Acids in a Tissue Engineered Blood Vessel Model.” Biomedical Engineering George Truskey, Advisor(s).

Kamillah Jena Kassam “Investigating the Structure:Dynamics:Function Relationship of the MALAT1 Triple Helix.” Chemistry Amanda Hargrove, Advisor(s).

Aaron Michael Keeler “Biochemical Characterization of an Atypical Polyketide Synthase (PKS) from the Apicomplexan Parasite Toxoplasma gondii.” Chemistry Emily Derbyshire, Advisor(s).

David Stanley Kinnamon “A Vertically Oriented Passive Microfluidic Device for Automated Point-Of-Care Testing Directly from Complex Samples.” Biomedical Engineering Ashutosh Chilkoti, Advisor(s).

JohnCarlo Louis Kristofich “Redefining Criteria for RNA-Binding Activity Through Signal-to-Noise (S:N)-Based Analysis of RNA-Bound Proteomes.” Cell Biology Christopher Nicchitta, Advisor(s).

Evan Michael Kurt “Hydrogel-Mediated Gene Delivery from Granular Scaffolds for Applications in Biologics Manufacturing and Regenerative Medicine.” Biomedical Engineering Tatiana Segura, Advisor(s).

Brandon Minh Lê “The Omic Modifiers of Morbidity and Mortality in Sickle Cell Disease.” Genetics and Genomics Allison Ashley-Koch, Advisor(s).

Yaosi Liang “Identification the Role of BCAT1 and SLC6A14/15 in Cellular Senescence and Aging.” Pharmacology and Cancer Biology Xiao-Fan Wang, Advisor(s).

Anqi Lin “Data-Driven Study of Polymer-Based Nanocomposites (PNC) – FAIR Online Data Resource Development and ML-Facilitated Material Design.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science L. Catherine Brinson, Advisor(s).

Ian Charles Lock “Identifying Novel Mechanisms of Tp53-Mediated Tumor Suppression.” Molecular Cancer Biology David G. Kirsch and Chang-Lung Lee, Advisor(s).

Helena Rochelle Ma “Quantitative Analysis of the Population Dynamics of Antibiotic Responses.” Biomedical Engineering Lingchong You, Advisor(s).

Guangshen Ma “3D Tissue Modelling: Laser-based Multi-modal Surface Reconstruction, Crater Shape Prediction and Pathological Mapping in Robotic Surgery.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Patrick Codd, Advisor(s).

André Macieira Braga Costa “Towards Accurate and Robust Modeling of Fluid-Driven Fracture.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science John Dolbow, Advisor(s).

Juilee Nitin Malavade “Elucidation of the Role of the Vinculin-Actin Catch Bond in Fibroblast-Mechanical Microenvironment Feedback.” Biomedical Engineering Brenton Hoffman, Advisor(s).

Emily Kathleen Maloney “Three Papers on the Relationship Between Identity and Status Processes: Occupational Status, Occupational Identity and Emotion, and the Transgender Identity.” Sociology Lynn Smith-Lovin, Advisor(s).

Riley Joseph Mangan “Divergence, Mutation, Function, Selection: The Evolution of the Human Genome.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Craig B. Lowe, Advisor(s).

Katherine Jane McAuliffe “Investigations of Tetrathiomolybdate for Antifungal Applications.” Chemistry Katherine Franz, Advisor(s).

Keeran Robert Murphy “Labor, Idleness, and Colonial Modern Fiction: Reading Claude McKay, Yi Sang, and Samuel Beckett in Relation.” English Aarthi Vadde and Nayoung Aimee Kwon, Advisor(s).

Muhammad Abdullah Naeem “From Spectral Theorem to Spectral Statistics of Large Random Matrices with Spatio-Temporal Dependencies.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Miroslav Pajic, Advisor(s).

Everette Snyder Newton “Harnessing Multi-Domain and Multi-Disciplinary Robotics Methods to Strengthen Scientific Research and Inform Policy and Management.” Marine Science and Conservation David Johnston, Advisor(s).

Yuting Ng “Modeling Archimedean, Extreme-Value and Archimax Copulas with Neural Networks.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Vahid Tarokh, Advisor(s).

Phuc Hong Nguyen “Advances in Bayesian Hierarchical Models for Complex Health Data.” Statistical Science Amy Herring, Advisor(s).

Pablo  Ortiz Escovar “Robotically Aligned and Automatically Controlled Systems for Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging.” Biomedical Engineering Joseph Izatt, Advisor(s).

Utsav Mukesh Patel “Search for Light Fermiophobic Charged Higgs Bosons From Proton-Proton Collisions at √s = 13 TeV Using the ATLAS Detector.” Physics Mark Kruse, Advisor(s).

Xixi Qin “Impact of Dynamics and Disorder on Structure and Electronic Levels of Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Perovskites.” Materials Science and Engineering Volker Blum, Advisor(s).

Swarna Kamlam Ravindran “Leveraging Data Augmentation in Limited-Label Scenarios for Improved Generalization.” Computer Science Carlo Tomasi, Advisor(s).

Martin Daniel Requena “Aptamers as Reversible Sorting Ligands in Dual FACS and MACS: Antisense and Nuclease-Mediated Approaches.” Genetics and Genomics Bruce Sullenger, Advisor(s).

Angela Marie Rivera “Developing Novel Antifungal Compounds for Use as Single-Agent and in Multi-Drug Combination Therapies for Treating Invasive Fungal Infections.” Pharmacology and Cancer Biology Joseph Heitman, Advisor(s).

Corrina Ghe Lou Lanore Robertson “Mating and Marital Fidelity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.” Pharmacology and Cancer Biology Daniel Lew, Advisor(s).

Amy Elizabeth Stewart “Investigating Mechanisms of Mitochondrial Complex II Dependence in Cancer.” Molecular Cancer Biology Kris Wood, Advisor(s).

Nicholas Alexander Strash “Roles of MAPK Signaling Pathway in Cardiomyocyte Proliferation and Function in Engineered Cardiac Tissues.” Cell Biology Nenad Bursac, Advisor(s).

Joshua R. Strayhorn “Somewhere to Lay My Head: Black Mobility, Migration, and Landownership in Eastern North Carolina, 1861-1900.” History Adriane Lentz-Smith, Advisor(s).

Michael A Sun “Developing Strategies to Target Glioblastoma Stemness and Immunosuppression.” Pathology Yiping He, Advisor(s).

Cole D. Swanson “Material Ends: Hauntology, Anachrony, and Traces of the Analog in Digital Cinema.” Music Jacqueline Waeber, Advisor(s).

Margaret Elizabeth Swift “The Impacts of Climate Change and Veterinary Fencing on Savanna Ungulate Populations, Communities, and Behaviors.” Environment James S. Clark and Susan C. Alberts, Advisor(s).

Christabel Xin Tan “Adhesion-Mediated Mechanisms Underlying Cortical Astrocyte Development.” Cell Biology Çağla Eroğlu, Advisor(s).

Khanh My Vien “Conserved Atypical Cadherin, Fat2, Regulates Axon Terminal Organization in the Developing Drosophila Olfactory Sensory Neurons.” Biology Pelin Volkan, Advisor(s).

Chunxi Wang “Control and Optimization of Immune Responses Induced by Nucleic Acid Vaccines.” Biomedical Engineering Fan Yuan, Advisor(s).

Weiqing Wang “Speaker Diarization with Deep Learning: Refinement, Online Extension and ASR Integration.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Ming Li and Xin Li, Advisor(s).

Tara Jean Weese “Conceptions of Victimhood: Legal, Political, and Psychological Dimensions.” Philosophy Gopal Sreenivasan and Wayne Norman, Advisor(s).

Sebastian Allen Wellford “Immune Barriers in the Olfactory Mucosa.” Immunology Ashley Moseman, Advisor(s).

Samantha Jo Wilkison “Defining the Local Landscape of Retinal Ganglion Cell Axons.” Pharmacology and Cancer Biology Vadim Arshavsky, Advisor(s).

Katherine Arceneaux Willard “Viral and Host Factors Drive Spontaneous Reactivation of Type 1 Epstein Barr Virus.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Micah Luftig, Advisor(s).

Keru Wu “Advances in Log-concave Sampling and Domain Adaptation.” Statistical Science Yuansi Chen, Advisor(s).

Soohyun Yoon “Chinese Women Artists and New Manifestations of Guanyin, 1550–1750.” Art, Art History, and Visual Studies Stanley Abe, Advisor(s).

Shuai Yuan “Assisting Unsupervised Optical Flow Estimation with External Information.” Computer Science Carlo Tomasi, Advisor(s).

Mojtaba Zarei “Task-Targeted Pre and Post-acquisition Methodologies for Optimal Conditioning and Interpretation of Medical Images Using Virtual Imaging Trial.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Ehsan Samei and Joseph Lo, Advisor(s).

Buang Zhang “Resonant Infrared Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation: Advancing Methodology and Elucidating Mechanisms for Precise Control of Film Morphology and Composition.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Adrienne Stiff-Roberts, Advisor(s).

Hao Zhang “Stochastic Modeling of Parametric and Model-Form Uncertainties in Computational Mechanics: Applications to Multiscale and Multimodel Predictive Frameworks.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Johann Guilleminot, Advisor(s).

Yue Zhou “Understanding Photo-physical Properties of Inorganic Pigments Using Pump-probe Microscopy.” Chemistry Warren Warren, Advisor(s).

Hanjing Zhu “Gradient Descent Methods in Modern Machine Learning Problems: Provable Guarantees.” Business Administration Jiaming Xu, Advisor(s).

Haodong Zhu “Acoustic-Based Automated Manipulation of Particles for Biological Applications.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Tony Jun Huang, Advisor(s).

Anthony James Alers “Neural Basis of Visuomotor Learning in the Frontal Eye Field: An Integrated Computational and Neurophysiological Approach.” Biomedical Engineering Marc Sommer, Advisor(s).

Saketh Aleti “Essays on High-Frequency Factors.” Economics Tim Bollerslev, Advisor(s).

Jeffrey Richard Allen “NLP7 PB1 Domain Interactions and Condensation Regulate the Plant Nitrogen Response.” Biology Lucia Strader, Advisor(s).

Ayoub Amil “Algorithms for Online Marketplaces: New Approaches to Order Fulfillment and Recommendation Systems.” Business Administration Ali Makhdoumi and Yehua Wei, Advisor(s).

Dilara Neslihan Anbarci “Rediscovering the Rete Ovarii: the Development, Role, and Function of a Secreting Auxiliary Structure to the Ovary.” Cell Biology Blanche Capel, Advisor(s).

Shreya Arya “Geometry of Stratified Spaces for the Analysis of Complex Data.” Mathematics Sayan Mukherjee and Ezra Miller, Advisor(s).

Morgan Alexander Bailey “Comparative Analysis of Stability-Based Profiling Techniques and Their Application to the Characterization of Drug Targets and Disease Phenotypes.” Chemistry Michael Fitzgerald, Advisor(s).

Melissa Rachael Baroff “Rereading Octavia and Poppaea: Unraveling the Literary Afterlives of Nero’s Wives.” Classical Studies Lauren Ginsberg, Advisor(s).

John William Barry “Essays in Corporate Finance and Governance.” Business Administration John Graham, Advisor(s).

Mason Daniel Barto “Negotiating Subjectivity: Gender, Communication, and Narrative telos in the Odyssey.” Classical Studies Micaela Janan, Advisor(s).

Christopher Fouad Bassil “Mechanistic Dissection of a Collateral Sensitivity to Drug Resistance in EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.” Molecular Cancer Biology Kris C. Wood, Advisor(s).

Xinyue Bei “Essays on Inference in Non-standard Situations.” Economics Adam Rosen, Advisor(s).

Elizabeth Louise Bersson “Methodological Advances for Multi-group Data.” Statistical Science Peter Hoff, Advisor(s).

Rohan Bhattacharya “Engineering Pluripotent Stem Cells to Uncover the Mechanisms of Human Kidney Diseases.” Biomedical Engineering Musah Samira, Advisor(s).

Joel Henry Bierman “Improving the Qubit-Efficiency of Quantum Algorithms for the Electronic Structure Problem Using Orbital Optimization.” Physics Jianfeng Lu, Advisor(s).

Lexi Rose Bounds “Development of CRISPR-Based Screening Methods to Identify Cis-Regulatory Elements that Control Complex Cellular Phenotypes.” Biomedical Engineering Charles Gersbach, Advisor(s).

Alper Kamil Bozkurt “Toward Assured Autonomy with Model-Free Reinforcement Learning.” Computer Science Miroslav Pajic, Advisor(s).

Sophia Ann Campione “Understanding Systems-Level Oscillations: Comparative and Network Analysis of Dynamic Phenotypes.” Genetics and Genomics Steven Haase and Amy Schmid, Advisor(s).

Nicole Renee' Caviness-Ashe “Exploring Racial Disparities in Cancer Care Among Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: The Double-Edged Sword.” Nursing Nancy Crego, Advisor(s).

Christian Gonzalo Cerda-Smith “Integrative PTEN Enhancer Discovery Reveals a New Model of Enhancer Organization.” Molecular Cancer Biology Kris C. Wood, Advisor(s).

Maya Parvathi Chandrasekaran “Energy Access, Time Use, and Women’s Empowerment in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.” Environmental Policy Marc Jeuland and Subhrendu Pattanayak, Advisor(s).

Yang Chen “Exploring Non-Visual Cues-Driven Spatial Learning in Drosophila.” Biology Chung-Hui Yang and Pelin Volkan, Advisor(s).

Peiyi Chen “On the Construction of Admissible Representations for Scientific Machine Learning and Uncertainty Quantification, with Various Applications in Computational Mechanics.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Johann Guilleminot, Advisor(s).

Tong Chen “Therapeutic Approaches and Tools for Metabolic Liver Disorders.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Karl-Dimiter Bissig and Matthew Scaglione, Advisor(s).

Xinlin Chen “Harnessing Recent Online Data to Enhance Brain-Computer Interface Operation.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Leslie Collins, Advisor(s).

Ying Chen “Resource-efficient and Context-aware Edge Computing-supported Extended Reality Systems.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Maria Gorlatova, Advisor(s).

Danyang Chen “Elasticity and Fracture of Polymer Networks with Entanglements and Weak Crosslinkers.” Materials Science and Engineering Michael Rubinstein, Advisor(s).

Tung Yan Gloria Cheung “Trajectories of Authoritarian Consolidation.” Political Science David Siegel and Edmund Malesky, Advisor(s).

Dongrak Choi “An Integrative Modeling Framework for Multivariate Longitudinal Clinical Data.” Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Sheng Luo, Advisor(s).

Bernard Albert Coles IV “Reconsidering Adolescent Society: Racial Differences in Stress Processing, Violence, and Health.” Sociology James Moody, Advisor(s).

Aidan Helen Combs “The Measurement and Implications of Meaning Uncertainty for Social Interaction.” Sociology Lynn Smith-Lovin, Advisor(s).

Rebecca Williams Cook “The Functional Significance of Early Homo Pelvis Morphology.” Evolutionary Anthropology Steven Churchill, Advisor(s).

Yuqing Dai “An Unbalanced Optimal Transport Problem with a Growth Constraint.” Mathematics James Nolen, Advisor(s).

Rodrigo da Silva Dias “Financial Resources and Consumer Decision Making.” Business Administration Gavan Fitzsimons and Eesha Sharma, Advisor(s).

Carolyn Victoria Diaz “Salience Encoding in the Mouse Olfactory System.” Neurobiology Kevin M. Franks, Advisor(s).

James Edward Draney “Computable Worlds: The Novel in the Age of Surveillance Capitalism.” English Aarthi Vadde, Advisor(s).

Nathan Louis Drapela “Untimely Steps: The Modern Landscapes and Timescapes of Perambulatory Self-Narration.” Carolina-Duke Program in German Studies Eric Downing, Advisor(s).

Yuncheng Duan “Prioritizing Genomic Sequences Using Evolutionary Signatures in Humans and Near-Human Primates.” Biology Greg Wray and Andrew Allen, Advisor(s).

Qichen Duan “Genetic Analysis of the Olfactory Circuit Organization in Drosophila.” Biology Pelin Volkan, Advisor(s).

Susannah Hall Duerr “The Zen of Mindfulness: Uncovering the Meaning of Mindfulness in Japan.” Religion Richard Jaffe, Advisor(s).

Shannon Leigh Eriksson “Optimizing Coherent Dynamics of Polarization Transfer in SABRE SHEATH.” Chemistry Warren S. Warren, Advisor(s).

Sarah Marie Ermatinger “Staphylococcus aureus Protein A, a Newly Identified Lectin, Promotes Aerobic Biofilm Formation.” Biochemistry Terrence Oas, Advisor(s).

Martha Liliana Espinosa Tavares “The Science of Family Planning: Mexico’s “Demographic Explosion,” Contraceptive Technologies, and the Power of Expert Knowledge.” History Jocelyn Olcott, Advisor(s).

James Paul Falese “Structural Characterization of the Long Noncoding RNA SChLAP1 Reveals Therapeutically Tractable Interfaces of RNA: Protein Recognition.” Biochemistry Amanda Hargrove, Advisor(s).

Isabella Pauline Fallon “Striatal Pathways for Action Counting and Steering.” Neurobiology Henry Yin, Advisor(s).

David Nicholas Fiflis “Repurposing Type-VI CRISPR Systems for Programmable mRNA Trans-Splicing.” Biomedical Engineering Aravind Asokan, Advisor(s).

Isabel Winefred Ganzert “The Role of Protein Translation and Mitochondrial Specialization in Anchor Cell Invasion Through Basement Membranes in C. elegans.” Genetics and Genomics David Sherwood, Advisor(s).

Qitong Gao “Learning for Control and Decision Making toward Medical Autonomy.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Miroslav Pajic, Advisor(s).

Leo Chan Gaskins “Megafauna Utilization of and Impact on Salt Marshes.” Marine Science and Conservation Brian Silliman, Advisor(s).

Natalie Gasparowicz “Contests over Contraception in Late Twentieth-Century Mexico.” History Jocelyn Olcott, Advisor(s).

Raphael Markus Geddert “Behavioral and Computational Mechanisms of Independent Cognitive Stability and Flexibility Adaptation.” Psychology and Neuroscience Tobias Egner, Advisor(s).

Rebecca Anne Gibson “Liver-directed AAV Gene Therapy for PHKG2-Glycogen Storage Disease Type IX (GSD IX γ2).” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Priya S. Kishnani, Advisor(s).

Gavin Paul Gonzales “Design of Biomaterial and Device for Studying Cartilage Injury in vitro.” Biomedical Engineering Shyni Varghese and Stefan Zauscher, Advisor(s).

Kimberlee J. Grier “Mental Health Among Foster Youth: A Socioecological Approach to Understanding Healthcare Access and Psychotropic Medication Use.” Nursing Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, Advisor(s).

Stephanie Gu “Contributions of A•G DNA Dynamics to Misincorporation During DNA Replication.” Biochemistry Hashim Al-Hashimi and Maria Schumacher, Advisor(s).

Shichen Guo “Control of Material Microstructure of Materials for Electrochemistry and Obscurants.” Chemistry Benjamin Wiley, Advisor(s).

Pranjal Gupta “Neural Manifolds, Just in Time: Real-time Dimensionality Reduction for Neural Populations.” Psychology and Neuroscience John Pearson, Advisor(s).

Marissa Arielle Guttenberg “Macrophage-Derived Mechanisms of Resolution of Environmental Lung Injury.” Environment Robert Tighe and Joel Meyer, Advisor(s).

Victoria Lynn Hall “Mechanisms of Striatal Fast-Spiking Interneuron Plasticity in Habit Learning.” Neurobiology Nicole Calakos, Advisor(s).

Melissa J. Harnois “Evaluating Humoral Immune Responses Against HLA and Cytomegalovirus in Human Lung Transplantation.” Immunology Annette M. Jackson and Sallie Permar, Advisor(s).

Hadiya Amira Jones Harrigan “Cardiovascular Health Classification Using Arterial Dispersion Ultrasound Vibrometry (ADUV).” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Wilkins Aquino, Advisor(s).

Ryan Michael Harrison “Les Cenelles: for Voices and Chamber Orchestra, and No Turn Unstoned: Development, Deviation, and Dissolution in the Electronic Dance Music of Luke Vibert.” Music Stephen Jaffe, Advisor(s).

Emily Grace Swanson Hay “Interrogating and Elucidating Drivers of Selective RNA-Ligand Interactions.” Chemistry Amanda Hargrove, Advisor(s).

Belinda Judith Hernandez “The Role of Exosomes in Polarized Retinal Pigment Epithelium.” Genetics and Genomics Catherine Bowes Rickman, Advisor(s).

Nicole D'Ann Higgins “That'll Teach!: Black Women's Poetic Transgressions and the Pedagogical Possible.” English Tsitsi Jaji, Advisor(s).

Jonathon Eric Himes “Developing Strategies to Evaluate Autochthonous Tumor-Specific Immune Responses.” Molecular Cancer Biology David G. Kirsch and Zhao Zhang, Advisor(s).

Reed Michael Hodges “Studies of     Decays and Transverse-Momentum-Dependent J/ѱ Production Using Effective Field Theory.” Physics Thomas Mehen, Advisor(s).

Dana Victoria Hogan “Expanding Worlds: Italian Women Artists and Cross-Cultural Encounters in Early Modernity.” Art, Art History, and Visual Studies Sara Galletti, Advisor(s).

Lauren Marie Holt “Exploring Multilevel Factors Associated with Dual-Method Contraceptive Use Among Adolescent and Young Adult Women.” Nursing Michael Relf, Advisor(s).

Joanna Homrighausen “Writing Esther, Then and Now: The Materiality of the Megillah in Ritual, Memory, and Biblical Interpretation.” Religion Laura Lieber and Ellen Davis, Advisor(s).

Grace Margaret Hooks “Structure-Function Studies on the Neisseria gonorrhoeae Multi-Drug Resistance Regulator, MtrR.” Biochemistry Richard Brennan, Advisor(s).

Alexandra Marina Hoyt-Miggelbrink “TNFR2 Is a Novel Marker of Exhaustion and TNFR2 Blockade Improves Subcutaneous Tumor Control.” Pathology Peter Fecci, Advisor(s).

Chun-Hsien Hsu “Poisson Summation Conjecture on Braverman-Kazhdan Spaces.” Mathematics Jayce Getz, Advisor(s).

Yixin Hu “Mechanistic Insights into Mechanochemically Triggered Polymer Degradation.” Chemistry Stephen Craig, Advisor(s).

Kaiyuan Hua “Design and Analysis of Clinical Trials with Restricted Mean Survival Time.” Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Xiaofei Wang and Hwanhee Hong, Advisor(s).

Brittani Lauren Huegen “Customized Electrodes for Printed Biosensors and Wearable Electronics.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Aaron Franklin, Advisor(s).

Erika Joy Hughes “Interrogation of Mycobacterial Granulomas with Single-Cell Resolution.” Genetics and Genomics David Tobin and Meta Kuehn, Advisor(s).

Shao-Chun Hung “Testing and Fault Diagnosis Solutions for Monolithic 3D ICs.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Krishnendu Chakrabarty and Yiran Chen, Advisor(s).

Duc Tan Huynh “Regulation of Human Neurofilaments and WNK Kinases by O-linked-β-N-acetylglucosamine.” Biochemistry Michael Boyce, Advisor(s).

Ciro Incoronato “The Biopower of the Oldest Mafia: Economics, Biopolitics, and Ecology in Mediterranean Society.” Romance Studies Michael Hardt and Roberto Dainotto, Advisor(s).

Yi Ji “Recent Advances on the Design, Analysis and Decision-making with Expensive Virtual Experiments.” Statistical Science Simon Mak, Advisor(s).

Zhuoran Jiang “Deep Learning-based Onboard Image Guidance and Dose Verification for Radiation Therapy.” Medical Physics Lei Ren and Q. Jackie Wu, Advisor(s).

Danting Jiang “Computationally Mining the Microbiome for Biologically Meaningful Results.” Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Neil Surana, Advisor(s).

Justin Frederic Jorge “Latch-Mediated Spring Actuation and the Diversity of Ultrafast Trap-Jaw Ant Impacts, Witch Hazel Fruit Sizes, and Spring-Launched Seed Aerodynamics.” Biology Sheila Patek, Advisor(s).

Andrew Bradley Kane “Essays in Asset Pricing.” Business Administration Nuno Clara, Advisor(s).

Kyeri Kim “Quantifying Antibiotic Response: Understanding Variability from Individual Cells to Community Dynamics.” Biomedical Engineering Lingchong You, Advisor(s).

Stephen Joseph Kirchner “Aging Clocks: Circadian Factors Control Antiviral Immunity of the Skin.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Jennifer Zhang, Advisor(s).

Fanjie Kong “Advancing Vision Intelligence Through the Development of Efficiency, Interpretability and Fairness in Deep Learning Models.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Ricardo Henao and Hai Li, Advisor(s).

Hannah Brooke Krall “The Creole of Color Clarinet Tradition and its Influence on Duke Ellington’s Creative Legacy.” Music Thomas Brothers, Advisor(s).

Jessica Nicole LaLonde “Advancing Polyhydroxyalkanoate Biopolymer Material Design: Integrating Machine Learning and Experimental Validation.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Stefan Zauscher, Advisor(s).

Rachael Ellen Lau “Remote Landslide Risk Assessment Fusing Data-Driven and Physics-Based Approaches.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Manolis Veveakis, Advisor(s).

Elise Maria Le Boulicaut Ennis “Search for Top-philic Heavy Resonances Using the Single-lepton Decay Channel in pp Collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector.” Physics Mark Kruse, Advisor(s).

Eun-Seok Lee “Essays in Macroeconomics and Information Theory.” Economics Cosmin Ilut, Advisor(s).

Min Jin Lee “The Role of UBE2N in Skin Homeostasis and Inflammation.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Jennifer Zhang and Stacy Horner, Advisor(s).

Jessica Lesa Levasseur “Exploring the Utility of Silicone Wristbands for Monitoring Exposure to Chemicals Present in Personal Care Products with a Focus on Parabens.” Environment Heather Stapleton and Jennifer Hoffman, Advisor(s).

Ziru Li “Power-efficient Spiking Neuromorphic Designs Using CMOS and Emerging Devices.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Hai Li, Advisor(s).

Jianwei David Li “Development of Intraoperative Optical Coherence Tomography and Imaging Systems.” Biomedical Engineering Joseph Izatt, Advisor(s).

Shiyu Li “Joint Optimization of Algorithms, Hardware, and Systems for Efficient Deep Neural Networks.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Yiran Chen, Advisor(s).

Michael Lin “Symmetrizing Black Hole Horizons and a Positive Mass Theorem for Spin Creased Initial Data.” Mathematics Hubert Bray, Advisor(s).

Winston Frederik Lindqwister “Homogenization of Chemo-Mechanically Active Porous Media Microstructures.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Manolis Veveakis, Advisor(s).

Huijuan Lennard Ling “The Poetics for Ten Instrumentalists; Rainy Days Vol. 1 for Harpsichord and Electronics; and An Exploration of Musical Meaning in Tan Dun’s Water Concerto: Expectations, Assumptions, and the Problem of “Chineseness”.” Music Stephen Jaffe, Advisor(s).

Hsuan-Fu Liu “Computational Methods for High-resolution Structure Determination of Macromolecular Complexes Imaged in situ Using Cryo-electron Tomography.” Biochemistry Alberto Bartesaghi,, Advisor(s).

Winston W. Liu “A Neural Circuit for Gut Microbial Patterns to Regulate Satiety.” Neurobiology Diego V. Bohórquez, Advisor(s).

Ethan Jeffrey LoCicero “Robust, Distributed, and Optimal Control via Dissipativity-Augmentation.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Leila Bridgeman, Advisor(s).

Ofelia del Carmen Lopez Madrigal “Representations of Black Womanhood in Cuban Literature (1882-1976).” Romance Studies Lamonte Aidoo, Advisor(s).

Antonio Robert LoPiano “Inventing Public and Private: The Development of Spatial Dynamics and State Organization within Archaic Central Italic Cities.” Classical Studies Maurizio Forte, Advisor(s).

Boyang Ma “Infrastructure Under Negotiation: Contract Making and African Agency in China-Africa Infrastructural Collaboration.” Cultural Anthropology Charles Piot and Ralph Litzinger, Advisor(s).

Adryanna Cheyenne Major “Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering in Large-scale Scintillators.” Physics Kate Scholberg, Advisor(s).

Sayan Mandal “Deep Learning to Predict Glaucoma Progression Using Structural Changes in the Eye.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Felipe Medeiros and Vahid Tarokh, Advisor(s).

Jarrett Patrick Mansergh “Underpinning Biological Energy Transduction via Naphthalene Diimide Molecular and de novo Protein Constructs.” Chemistry Michael Therien, Advisor(s).

Christopher Rocky Mansfield “Investigation of Heat Shock Protein 90 in Plasmodium Parasites.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Emily Derbyshire, Advisor(s).

Justin Garner Martyr “Small Molecule Modulation of RNA Tertiary Structures and RNA-Protein Interactions.” Biochemistry Amanda Hargrove, Advisor(s).

Sean R. McCutcheon “Orthogonal Screens to Decode Human T Cell State and Function.” Biomedical Engineering Charles Gersbach, Advisor(s).

Rachel Katherine Meade “Host-Pathogen Genetic Factors Mediate Tuberculosis Disease Outcomes.” Genetics and Genomics Clare Smith, Advisor(s).

Ian Daniel Medeiros “Systematics, Genomics, and Biogeography of Fungus–Photoautotroph Interactions in Lecanoromycetes and Eurotiomycetes.” Biology François Lutzoni, Advisor(s).

Wilderson Alfonso Medina Baron “Biodiversity Conservation in the Northern Andes: Distribution Patterns, Priorities, and Exploration Needs.” Environment Stuart Pimm, Advisor(s).

Andrew William Miller “Advancing Wound Healing: from Surgical Technology to New and Improved Hydrogel Therapies.” Biomedical Engineering Tatiana Segura, Advisor(s).

Concetta Morino “Lumbar Spine Behavior and Injury Due to Cyclic Loading.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Cameron Bass and Brian Mann, Advisor(s).

Zekun Mu “Design and Immunogenicity of Stabilized HIV-1 Modified Messenger RNA Vaccines.” Immunology Barton Haynes and Garnett Kelsoe, Advisor(s).

Katherine Dianne Mueller “The Role of Akkermansia Species and Subspecies in Human Health.” Genetics and Genomics Raphael Valdivia, Advisor(s).

Josue Daniel Nataren Moran “Classifying Human Atrial Electrograms and Generating Patient-specific Models of the Left Atrial Posterior Wall Using Point Cloud Data to Simulate Electrograms Arising from Different Tissue Substrates.” Biomedical Engineering Roger Barr, Advisor(s).

Anastasia Jean Niver “Expanding Applications of Active-Feedback Single-Molecule Tracking Microscopy in Complex Background Environments Such as Cells.” Chemistry Kevin Welsher, Advisor(s).

Kevin Guy O'Neill “The Modal and Metacognitive Nature of Causal Judgment.” Psychology and Neuroscience Felipe De Brigard and John Pearson, Advisor(s).

Joost Op 't Eynde “Injury Risks in Behind Armor Blunt Trauma.” Biomedical Engineering Cameron Bass and Jason Luck, Advisor(s).

Jameson Patrick O'Reilly “New Techniques for Fast and High-Fidelity Trapped Ion Photonic Interconnects.” Physics Christopher Monroe, Advisor(s).

Jessica Jee Won Paek “Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: How Progress Steadiness Affects Motivation.” Business Administration Gráinne Fitzsimons, Advisor(s).

Hao Pang “Essays on Macro-finance and Asset Pricing.” Business Administration Anna Cieslak, Advisor(s).

Jaehong Park “Brainstem Control of Vocalization and its Coordination with Respiration.” Biomedical Engineering Fan Wang and Marc Sommer, Advisor(s).

JoonYup Park “Essays on the Economics of Residential Segregation and Affordable Housing.” Economics Patrick Bayer, Advisor(s).

SaeHim Park “Imaging "Comfort Women": Girl Statue of Peace (2011) in the Expanded Field.” Art, Art History, and Visual Studies Stanley Abe, Advisor(s).

Evan Andrew Pebesma “Regeneration Through Laughter: The American Comedic National Fantasy After 9/11.” Literature Michael Hardt, Advisor(s).

Xinyue Pei “Essays on Labor Market Dynamics and Innovation.” Public Policy Matthew Johnson and Daniel Yi Xu, Advisor(s).

Rixi Peng “Deep Learning Assisted Large Scale Metamaterial Simulation.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Willie Padilla, Advisor(s).

Luis Enrique Perez Abreu Velazquez “Consumers Anticipating and Managing Goal Failure: How Past Conflicts Shape Expectations and Language Influences Recovery.” Business Administration Jordan Etkin, Advisor(s).

Brianna Leigh Petrone “Molecular Signatures of Food Intake in Human Stool.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Lawrence A. David, Advisor(s).

Melissa Ann Powell “Understanding the Experiences and Support Needs of Nurses During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Nursing AnnMarie Walton, Advisor(s).

Jordan John Powers “Next-Generation Mapping of the Salicylic Acid Signaling Hub and Transcriptional Cascade.” Genetics and Genomics Xinnian Dong and Lucia Strader, Advisor(s).

Jiaxuan Qi “Dopamine Dynamics Drive Birdsong Learning.” Neurobiology Richard Mooney, Advisor(s).

Juan Ramirez “Astrocyte-Microglia Signaling Controls Developmental Thalamocortical Synapse Refinement.” Neurobiology Cagla Eroglu, Advisor(s).

Patrick M. Ramjug “Procedure, Power, and Policy in the Post-Reconstruction United States House of Representatives.” Political Science John Aldrich, Advisor(s).

Tania Rispoli “The Politics of Care: Feminist Infrastructures of Love and Labor.” Romance Studies Michael Hardt, Advisor(s).

Celine Shana Robinson “Unveiling the Risks: Remote Sensing and Machine Learning for Data-Driven Aboveground Storage Tank Vulnerability Assessment.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Mark Borsuk, Advisor(s).

Ignacio Rodriguez Hurtado “Essays on Organized Crime and Political Capture in Development Economics.” Economics Erica Field, Advisor(s).

Natalie Ann Rozman “Electromagnetic Metamaterials for Wave Manipulation.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Willie Padilla, Advisor(s).

James Alexander Runge “Pair Transfer Reactions and Nuclear Matrix Elements for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay.” Physics Phillip Barbeau, Advisor(s).

Harshit Sahay “Somatic Mutagenesis at Transcription Factor Binding Sites.” Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Raluca Gordân, Advisor(s).

Minato Sakamoto “Studies of Algorithmic Music Generation; Folksong Enthusiasm in Post-Cultural Revolution China.” Music Scott Lindroth, Advisor(s).

Laavanya Sankaranarayanan “Dissecting the Functional Effects of Non-coding Gene Regulatory Elements.” Genetics and Genomics Timothy Reddy, Advisor(s).

Timothy James Scargill “Environment Analysis and Design Systems for Markerless Mobile Augmented Reality.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Maria Gorlatova, Advisor(s).

Meredith Nicole Schmehl “Visual Cues Modulate Auditory Responses in the Macaque Inferior Colliculus.” Neurobiology Jennifer Groh, Advisor(s).

Lesia Semenova “In Pursuit of Simplicity: The Role of the Rashomon Effect for Informed Decision Making.” Computer Science Cynthia Rudin and Ronald Parr, Advisor(s).

Jeremy W. Sexton “Samuel Barber as Synthesizer: An Analytical and Critical Reappraisal.” Music Philip Rupprecht, Advisor(s).

Helen Johanne Shears “The Treaties of Utrecht and the Making of the British Empire, 1713-1783.” History Philip Stern, Advisor(s).

Timothy Curtis Shoyer “Experimental and Modeling Approaches to Investigate Molecular-Scale Mechanosensitive Processes in Collective Cell Migration.” Biomedical Engineering Brenton Hoffman, Advisor(s).

Akash Singh “Melting and Glass Formation in Halide Perovskites.” Materials Science and Engineering David Mitzi, Advisor(s).

Timothy Joseph Smith “Overcoming Barriers to AAV Gene Transfer.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Aravind Asokan, Advisor(s).

Andrew Preston Smith “A Measurement of the Eta Meson Radiative Decay Width via the Primakoff Effect.” Physics Haiyan Gao, Advisor(s).

Hye-In Son “Programming Microbial Communities via Control of Plasmid Dynamics.” Biomedical Engineering Lingchong You, Advisor(s).

Hunter Scott Stephens “Automated Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) Using Fast Dose and Fluence Calculations and Reinforcement Learning.” Medical Physics Q. Jackie Wu and Qiuwen Wu, Advisor(s).

Rebeccah Keaton Stewart “Cell Type Specific Responses to Codon Usage Bias in Two Stem Cell Lineages.” Molecular Cancer Biology Donald Fox, Advisor(s).

Yudong Sun “Modulation of Cell Differentiation and Epigenetic Landscape by Methionine Metabolism.” Biochemistry Meta Kuehn, Advisor(s).

David Taichi Takamura “Egoism in the Age of Romanticism.” Carolina-Duke Program in German Studies Gabriel Trop and Stefani Engelstein, Advisor(s).

Emily Elizabeth Tallman “Bayesian Predictive Decision Synthesis: Methodology and Applications.” Statistical Science Mike West, Advisor(s).

Yixin Tan “Analysis of Score-based Generative Models.” Mathematics Jianfeng Lu, Advisor(s).

Vivien Tejada “Unfree Soil: Empire, Labor, and Coercion in the Upper Mississippi River Valley, 1812-1861.” History Gunther Peck, Advisor(s).

Devang Thakkar “Profiling the Molecular Determinants of Origin and Response in Blood Cancers.” Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Sandeep Dave, Advisor(s).

Brandon Joon-Sun Thio “Computational Tools to Improve Stereo-EEG Implantation and Resection Surgery for Patients with Epilepsy.” Biomedical Engineering Warren M. Grill, Advisor(s).

Yuqi Tian “Merging Magnetic Resonance Histology with Light Sheet Microscopy.” Biomedical Engineering G. Allan Johnson, Advisor(s).

Laura Patricia Torres Rojas “Advancing the Representation of Land Surface Heterogeneity in Land Surface Models.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Nathaniel Chaney, Advisor(s).

Joseph Daniel Trimarco “Identifying Host Genetic Targets for Limiting Susceptibility to Respiratory Viral Infections.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Nicholas Heaton, Advisor(s).

Rebecca Uliasz “Epistemologies of the Unknown: Cybernetic Cultures and Ecological Aesthetics after the Cold War.” Computational Media, Arts & Cultures Mark Hansen and Luciana Parisi, Advisor(s).

Laura Vargas “Toxic Narratives: the Role of Poisoning in Contemporary Caribbean Novels.” Romance Studies Annette Joseph-Gabriel and Richard Rosa, Advisor(s).

Jared T. Vasil “Effects of “We”-Framing and Prior Discourse on Young Children’s Referential Informativeness.” Psychology and Neuroscience Michael Tomasello, Advisor(s).

Tri Quang Vu “On the Development of Full-view Photoacoustic Computed Tomography System for Biomedical Applications.” Biomedical Engineering Junjie Yao, Advisor(s).

Jessica Waibl Polania “Investigating the Dynamics of T Cell Exhaustion in Glioblastoma and Other Solid Tumors.” Pathology Peter Fecci, Advisor(s).

Zhenxuan Wang “The Economics of Energy Infrastructure and Climate Change.” Environmental Policy Robyn Meeks, Advisor(s).

Chenyu Wang “Essays in FinTech and Macro-Finance.” Business Administration S. Viswanathan, Advisor(s).

Hsuan-Yuan (Sherry) Wang “Evaluate Glycoprotein Complexes-Elicited Antibody Responses to Inform Congenital Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Design.” Immunology Sallie Permar, Advisor(s).

Yuxi Wang “Internal States Influence Learning Behavior and Structure Event Memory.” Psychology and Neuroscience Tobias Egner and R. Alison Adcock, Advisor(s).

Tyler Steven Waterman “Representing the Heterogeneity of Land-Atmosphere Interactions in Earth System Modeling.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Nathaniel Chaney, Advisor(s).

Rachael Nadine Wright “Shaping Affect Regulation: From Trait Influences to Learning Experiences.” Psychology and Neuroscience R. Alison Adcock and Kevin LaBar, Advisor(s).

Tianyu Wu “Optimization and Evaluation of Engineered Prokaryotic Sodium Channel Gene Therapy for Heart Failure and Cardiac Arrhythmias.” Biomedical Engineering Nenad Bursac, Advisor(s).

Sung-Ju Wu “Essays on Trade Policies and Foreign Direct Investments.” Economics Yi Xu and Rafael Dix-Carneiro, Advisor(s).

Yi Xie “Structure-Property Control for Enhanced Spin-Related, Optical, and Thermal Properties of Layered Halide-Based Hybrid Perovskites.” Materials Science and Engineering David Mitzi, Advisor(s).

Boya Xu “Essays on Innovation Adoption and Distribution in Digital Era.” Business Administration Carl Mela and Tong Guo, Advisor(s).

Kaili Yang “Essays on the Economics of Technology Adoption and Quality Upgrading.” Economics Daniel Yi Xu and James Roberts, Advisor(s).

HyunBin You “Transitional Care for Intensive Care Unit Patients and Their Families.” Nursing Tolu Oyesanya, Advisor(s).

Donggeng Yu “Imaging and Kinetic Study of Single Polymer Particle Growth.” Chemistry Kevin Welsher, Advisor(s).

Pamela Zabala Ortiz “Black, but “Not Black”: Dominican Racial Contestations and the Pursuit of Authentic Blackness.” Sociology Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Advisor(s).

Yikang Zhang “Driven-dissipative Phase Transitions for Markovian Open Quantum Systems.” Physics Thomas Barthel, Advisor(s).

Tunhou Zhang “Practical Solutions to Neural Architecture Search on Applied Machine Learning.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Yiran Chen, Advisor(s).

Yiquan Zhao “Synthesis of Daucane-Type Sesquiterpenoids.” Chemistry Jiyong Hong, Advisor(s).

Qilin Zheng “Hybrid Digital/Analog In-Memory Computing.” Electrical and Computer Engineering Hai Li, Advisor(s).

Chudi Zhong “Interpretability and Multiplicity: a Path to Trustworthy Machine Learning.” Computer Science Cynthia Rudin and, Advisor(s).

Ruoyu Zhong “Cellular Droplet Sorting and Manipulation for Immunity Analysis via Acoustofluidics.” Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Tony Huang, Advisor(s).

Levin Liewen Zhu “Essays on Sustainable Product Consumption.” Business Administration Carl Mela and Bryan Bollinger, Advisor(s).

Wei Zhu “Transcription Factors Increase Mutagenesis by Interfering with DNA Mismatch Repair.” Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Raluca Gordân, Advisor(s).

Anna Laura Ziff “Essays in the Economics of Place-Based Policies.” Economics Patrick Bayer and Vincent Joseph Hotz, Advisor(s).

Xue Zou “Integrative Modeling of Genetic and Transcriptomic Data for the Identification of Allele-Specific Expression.” Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Andrew Allen and William Majoros, Advisor(s).

Spring 2024 Biology Department Newsletter

Hello Department of Biology!

Welcome to the biology department newsletter., thanks to everyone who submitted news items., your contributions are greatly appreciated, chair’s note.

Dear Department of Biology Community,

I hope that the spring finds all of you doing well! In this department newsletter, you’ll see how our community of students, staff, and faculty continue to do amazing work. We hope you enjoy reading about them and we invite you to contribute to our department website and upcoming newsletters by clicking  here .

All the best,

Pamela Templer Professor and Chair

Congratulations to the Following Faculty

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Ana Fiszbein for being awarded an NSF CAREER grant and an Award to Catalyze Discovery from Hevolution . The title of Prof. Fiszbein’s NSF CAREER grant is “Splicing factors as transcriptional activators” and the Hevolution grant title is “Tracking gene boundaries in aging”.

Congratulations to Professor Kim McCall for being awarded funding from NIH for her grant titled “ The coordination of cell death and corpse clearance in Drosophila. ” Prof. McCall’s research program aims to understand the diverse mechanisms of cell death, how dead cells are efficiently removed, and the physiological effects on organisms when these processes go awry.

Congratulations to Professor Richard Primack for being invited to join the Academia Europaea , an initiative of the United Kingdom’s Royal Society and other National Academies in Europe.

Congratulations to Professors Katya Ravid and Nathanael Fillmore for being awarded an Allostatic Load and Cardio-Oncology Grant from the American Heart Association to focus on work on clonal hematopoiesis, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Congratulations to Professor and Chair Pamela Templer who was invited to serve on the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) and being invited to serve as an Author on the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s First National Nature Assessment . Also, congratulations to Pam for being named a CAS Distinguished Professor!

Congratulations to the Following Students

Congratulations to Nyomi Inda (ECE Major, College of Engineering, graduate student in the Tay Lab) for having their abstract on “AutoMorFi: Automated Morphometric Analysis in Fiji” selected for the prestigious Engineering Community Technical Research Exhibition sponsored by Lam Research Corporation.

Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate María José Salazar-Nicholls of the Warkentin Lab for receiving the Marlene Zuk award for the best student talk in Animal Behavior at the 2024 meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology.

Congratulations to our Graduate Students who’ve received department awards so far this year!

Alden Macchi Award:  Alexandra Chasse

Belamarich Dissertation Writing Award: Mandy Pinheiro

Brendon R. Lutz Award: Alejandro Rondon Ortiz

Charles Terner Award: Jaice Rottenberg

Dana Wright Fellowship: Morgan Bennett-Smith

Economakis Award: E Schlatter

Marion Kramer Award: Kathryn Atherton and Jillian Ness

Outstanding Teaching Fellow in Biology Award: Chelsea Stephens

Thomas Kunz Award: Abigail Robinson

Warren-McLeod Award (Summer): Mu-Han Chen and Maria Ingersoll

Warren-McLeod Award (Year): Caroline Fleming

Congratulations to the Following Staff

Congratulations to Todd Blute for receiving the 2024 CAS Outstanding Achievement Award!

Congratulations to Barkha Shah for being awarded the CAS Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Leadership  (IDEAL) Award!

What’s New

Boston University’s Marine Program (BUMP) released their first-ever newsletter , covering news about events, faculty updates, student profiles, alumni achievements, and more.

Recent Publications

Abbonante, V, AI Karkempetzaki, C Leon, A Krishnan, N Huang, CA Di Buduo, D Cattaneo, CM Ward, S Matsuura, I Guinard, J Weber, A De Acutis, G Vozzi, A Iurlo, K Ravid and A Balduini. Newly Identified Roles for PIEZO1 Mechanosensor in Controlling Normal Megakaryocyte Development and in Primary Myelofibrosis. American Journal of Hematology , U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2024, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38165047/.

Aichelman, H, A Huzar, D Wuitchik, K Atherton, R Wright, G Dixon, E Schlatter, N Haftel and SW Davies. Symbiosis Modulates Gene Expression of Symbionts, but Not Coral Hosts, under Thermal Challenge. Wiley , 2024, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mec.17318.

Postdoc Dr. Hannah Aichelman published one of her dissertation chapters exploring how symbiosis modulates gene expression of algal symbionts, but not coral hosts. This work was in collaboration with several BU Marine Program students. This publication is the result of one of Hannah Eichelman’s dissertation chapters, and was a collaborative effort across BU Marine Program students, former BU undergrad and Davies Lab tech Alexa Huzar, former Davies Lab postdoc Rachel Wright, BU PhD student Katie Atherton, former Davies Lab PhD student Dan Wuitchik, and external collaborator Groves Dixon. They leveraged gene expression of coral hosts and their symbionts to test the hypothesis that coral gene expression responds more strongly to thermal stress compared to symbionts because hosts modulate symbiont environments to buffer stress.

Azorsa, F and JFA Traniello. Dietary variation, social complexity, and brain size evolution in predatory ants.

Bekendam, R and K Ravid. Mechanisms of Platelet Activation in Cancer-Associated Thrombosis: A Focus on Myeloproliferative Neoplasms. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology , U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2023, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37457287/.

Castillo, KD, CB Bove, AM Hughes, ME Powell, JB Ries and SW Davies. Gene Expression Plasticity Facilitates Acclimatization of a Long-Lived Caribbean Coral across Divergent Reef Environments. Scientific Reports , 2024, www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-57319-0.

Previous Davies lab postdoc (and now Assistant Professor at Ursinus College) Dr. Colleen Bove led a paper exploring the acclimation capacity of long-lived corals across divergent reef environments in Belize using long term mortality, growth and gene expression data.

Elguero, J, G Liu, K Tiemeyer, S Bandyadka, H Gandevia, L Duro, Z Yan and K McCall. Defective Phagocytosis Leads to Neurodegeneration through Systemic Increased Innate Immune Signaling. Cell , 2023, doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.108052 .

A failure to remove dead cells in the brain of the fruit fly was found to promote elevated immune signaling and neurodegeneration.

Grupstra, CGB, M Gómez-Corrales, JE Fifer, HE Aichelman, KS Meyer-Kaiser, C Prada and SW Davies. Integrating Cryptic Diversity into Coral Evolution, Symbiosis and Conservation. Nature News , Nature Publishing Group, 2024, www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-02319-y .

Postdoc Dr. Carsten Grupstra from the Davies lab led a perspective piece published in Nature Ecology Evolution discussing how cryptic diversity affects the study of coral adaptation to future environments and the challenges and opportunities that this diversity poses for conservation and restoration efforts.

Güell, BA, JG McDaniel and KM Warkentin. Egg-Clutch Biomechanics Affect Escape-Hatching Behavior and Performance. OUP Academic , Oxford University Press, 2024, doi.org/10.1093/iob/obae006.

Most gliding leaf frog embryos die in snake attacks, while their congeners mostly escape, cued by egg-clutch vibrations. Using standardized physical testing and cross-species egg-transplant predation experiments, we found that egg structure and clutch vibration mechanics help explain species differences in embryo behavior and escape success.

Katchmar, A and AB Cohen. A National Benefit For Cell And Gene Therapies: A Proposed Framework. Health Affairs , 2024, www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/national-benefit-cell-and-gene-therapies-proposed-framework.

This article explores a novel way to mitigate the impact of high-cost cell and gene therapies on the US health care system, and was covered by InsideHealthPolicy and Bloomberg Intelligence.

Lobel, P and L Kerr Lobel. A Ten-Year Record Shows Warming inside the Belize Barrier Reef Lagoon. MDPI , Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2024, www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/16/1/57.

Lotfollahzadeh, S, X Yang, DJW Wong, J Han, F Seta, S Ganguli, A Jose, K Ravid and V Chitalia. Venous Thrombosis Assay in a Mouse Model of Cancer. Journal of Visualized Experiments : JoVE , U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2024, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38251710/.

Smith, J, J Vizueta and JFA Traniello. Diet diversity and gustatory receptor evolution in ants.

Recent Events

Jordan Smith and Frank Azorsa presented their research at the Cold Spring Harbor on Genomics and Biology of Social Insects Conference, March 25-28, 2024.

The Emerging Scholars in Global Change event took place on March 25-26, 2024 which was funded by Boston University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. This event identified and established relationships with current emerging scholars in Biology from underrepresented backgrounds.

The Davies Lab collaborated with Multiverse to conduct an outreach event at a Boston Public Elementary School that involved science booths, short lectures, and music.

Photos by Sarah Davies.

Upcoming Events

Evans Center ARC Seminars, Symposia and Special Events for Spring 2024 .

Prof. Warkentin will provide an invited talk in June 2024 titled “Plasticity, modularity, and cross-sexual transfer: a nonbinary framework for sexual diversity.” The invited talk will be in the Symposium titled Increasing the visibility of LGBTQ+ scientists and building a queer-friendly community in the Animal Behavior Society Meeting in London, Ontario.

Clubs and Athletics

Out in Stem (oSTEM) empowers LGBTQIA+ graduate students in STEM fields to succeed personally, academically, and professionally by cultivating community and promoting visibility through hosting a range of social, academic, and scientific events. BU oSTEM recently elected their 2024-2025 Leadership Team, which included many Biology and MCBB students.

Past Newsletters

Spring 2023

A spotlight on outstanding spring 2024 grads

This spring, ASU will graduate its largest class in history , releasing nearly 20,700 Sun Devils into the workforce.

Those graduates join their fellow alumni among the world’s most employable grads: A recent survey of international employers ranked ASU  the No. 2 public and 13th overall university in the U.S., and No. 34 worldwide, for employable graduates . 

RELATED:  Advice to grads at commencement: 'Spend your time creating new things'

We take a look some of the remarkable achievements of this spring's cohort. 

No longer in the wilderness

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Lauren Haugen to take a hard look at her academic career. Her originally plan was to attend college out of state and study marine biology. She ended up staying put in her hometown of Lake Havasu City, where she discovered a passion for the environment where she grew up. Now a park ranger specialist with Arizona State Parks and Trails and will graduate in May with a degree in environmental science.

Anthropology PhD graduate works to highlight range of cultures and backgrounds

Her academic career has come full circle: Once an undergraduate first-generation student at Arizona State University, Mirtha Garcia Reyes is now completing her PhD in sociocultural anthropology.

Nontraditional student hopes to make a change with her degre

A mother of six grown children and a handful of grandchildren, Cat Valluzzo is not your traditional student at Arizona State University. She gave her children the opportunity to complete their education before she decided to go back to school for herself.

From solar energy to water quality to art, honors graduate fulfilled many interests at ASU

Erin Burgard fulfilled her interests in engineering, solar energy, water quality, languages and art while an undergraduate at ASU. Burgard is graduating in May with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering, a Spanish minor and a certificate in environmental humanities, with honors from Barrett, The Honors College. 

Outstanding anthropology undergraduate passionate about Egyptology

Her passion for anthropology, specifically Egyptology, started at a very young age for Tatijana Jovanović. Born and raised in Phoenix, Jovanović knew she wanted to attend Arizona State University, where the School of Human Evolution and Social Change is known for its anthropology program.  

School of Molecular Sciences Dean’s Medalist shares inspiration

Rylee James' journey into the world of chemistry was sparked by an inspiring high school teacher, a chemistry teacher whom James credits for making the subject both engaging and enjoyable.

ASU FIDM fashion business management grad lands industry job in LA

Dominique Joseph is ready to make her mark in the fashion world — landing a job in Los Angeles before she has even graduated and laying the groundwork for her long-term ambition to start a company that values sustainability and diversity. 

First-gen graduate earns degree 30 years later

When Adrienne Keller began her freshman year of college in 1994, she couldn’t have anticipated graduating 30 years later. This spring, Keller, a first-generation student, is accomplishing one of her biggest dreams and graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in art history.

Faith and science directed ASU grad on his undergraduate journey

Rafael Ortiz III journey will culminate when he graduates in May with a bachelor's degree in astrophysics from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with honors from Barrett, The Honors College. 

ASU nursing graduate determined to be a voice for the voiceless

Aurelia Taylor plans to use her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree to advance health literacy and provide preventative care for her fellow tribal members and other Indigenous peoples.

Sanford School Dean’s Medalist passionate about serving families, community

Helping families and children succeed in society takes knowledgeable and understanding professionals. Few students exemplify this mindset more than Diana Nguyen, a family and human development major and the spring 2024 Dean’s Medalist for the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics. 

Sociology student passionate about preventing domestic and gender-based violence

As a high school student in Hyderabad, India, Rishita Rudraraju was drawn to human behavior and emotions, and psychology seemed like the perfect fit. During her application process, however, she stumbled upon sociology and became fascinated by its interplay between society and human behavior.  

Miss Arizona, computer science major wants to inspire children to combine code and creativity

Tiffany Ticlo, a former Miss Scottsdale, was crowned Miss Arizona in June 2023. Combining her love for engineering with her passion for helping children, she dedicated her time to a community service initiative called STEAM: Bringing Science and the Arts to All Students.

ASU grad Bryan Yavari led student team focused on air quality improvement in Mongolia

Of all the things he accomplished as an undergraduate at Arizona State University, Bryan Yavari is most proud of the work he did to address poor air quality inside homes in Mongolia.

ASU social work graduate committed to working with children, youth and families

Morgan Cywinski knows how important play can be to the well-being of hospitalized children, so, as a student at ASU, she developed a resource for them. For her honors thesis, she designed and developed “The Bedside Box of Play,” a box with play activities geared toward 5- to 11-year-old children experiencing hospitalization. 

Dean's Medalist breaks out of shell during senior year

Thanks to his life experiences and learning at ASU, Ahmed Wali realized that he needed to work on his patience, both within himself and for others. Wali is graduating as a Dean's Medalist from the School of Social Transformation with a degree in justice studies, a minor in civic and economic thought leadership, and a certificate in both African and African American studies and socio-legal studies.

Anthropology PhD student's work highlights complexity of human identities, histories

Tisa Loewen considers herself a nontraditional student. She is older than typical U.S. college students, having previously left college and returning years later to complete her undergraduate degree. Now, Loewen will graduate this spring with a PhD in anthropology from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change with a focus in bioarchaeology. 

Engineering grad finds her passion in leadership positions at ASU

Growing up, Raquel Lopez Anchia was fascinated by her father’s career of traveling the world and working on cool projects. This laid the foundation for her passion for engineering and would later bring her to become the first female engineer in her family.

Event planning a slam dunk for organizational leadership grad

Kailin Kentigian made an impactful mark during her years at Arizona State University, serving in leadership roles with the Student Alumni Association and even starting an organization on campus. But her involvement reached beyond the scope of campus, too: She began a position with the Phoenix Suns in March 2023 as an events and booking intern. 

A big move leads to even bigger opportunity for ASU grad

Moving, no matter the distance, can be a big undertaking — but moving to another country? That's life changing. Bilha Obaigwa made that life-changing leap in 2019 when she immigrated to the United States from Kenya, Africa. Once settled, she began looking at pursuing a graduate degree.

Dean's Medalist embraces heritage language through poetry

Chris Hoshnic, who also holds an associate’s degree in video production from Glendale Community College, is graduating from ASU with his bachelor’s degree this spring. He is committed to helping others learn or re-learn their own heritage languages and to embracing his culture and community.

ASU graduate Cordero Holmes’ path to success paved with hardship, redemption and resilience

Cordero Holmes' path to ASU took a circuitous route through a hardscrabble life as a youngster involved in gangs in southwest Phoenix, time spent in juvenile detention facilities and incarceration as an adult. “I have been in and out of institutions since I was a juvenile. As an adult, I was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison. Then, when released, I was a single father of two kids, one being autistic,” said Holmes, who is graduating ASU in May with a bachelor’s degree in public service and public policy, with honors from Barrett, The Honors College. 

Grandson of former Sun Devil Football standout Rhoades pursuing sports from a different angle

Benjamin Johnson has been surrounded by Arizona State University culture since he was a kid. Growing up in Tempe, he often attended ASU football and basketball games with his grandfather Frank Rhoades, who played football at ASU for legendary Coach Frank Kush.

Education grad strengthens family's legacy at ASU

For Ahlias Jones, his Sun Devil family legacy runs deep. His mother, father, sister and two brothers all have degrees from ASU. Jones will be joining the alumni ranks in his family when he graduates this May from the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College with a degree in secondary education (history) and a minor in communication.

International student finds next steps for college and career at ASU

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in information technology at the University of Mumbai in India, Monish Manoj Sahani was working as a software developer. About nine months into his role, he wanted to explore something new and turned to education as his pathway. 

ASU sustainability grad pursues environmental justice, youth education and community empowerment

Initially wanting to be a veterinarian, Katie Spreitzer researched extensively into dietary choices and environment while in high school. This led her to pursue a sustainable lifestyle and a sustainability degree at ASU in hopes of enacting meaningful changes for the future. 

ASU Law’s youngest-ever graduate goes above and beyond

At just 19 years old, Charmaine Chien-Yu Chui will become the youngest graduate in the history of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University when she crosses the stage in May to receive her Juris Doctor.

Graduating ASU film student befriends the macabre

Kristen Semedo has held many jobs: ghost tour guide, music photographer, community health worker, and most recently, Hollywood prop master. Her graduation from ASU this spring is the culmination of 10 years of higher education, beginning at Salem State and ending on a stage in Tempe, Arizona where she’ll earn her BA in film and media studies at ASU.

Engineering convocation speaker augments learning through extended reality

After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington in his hometown of Seattle, Frank Wencheng Liu decided to attend the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering for his doctoral degree in computer engineering.

ASU grad has a love of the natural world and chemistry

While at ASU, Charles Howell developed a own project aimed at developing a green chemistry way to break down plastics that mimics processes that occur naturally.

From professor to global leader: Thunderbird graduates' dreams become reality

Arunima Gupta, originally from Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, chose to further her studies at Thunderbird School of Global Management after enjoying a successful career as an assistant professor. It was during her tenure as a professor that she discovered her passion for leadership and management education.

When the coach becomes the student

A cancer diagnosis and treatment didn’t stymie Katie Guerin’s progress or affect her grades. She’s graduating from ASU with a master’s in TESOL this spring, after completing a research internship and a capstone project inspired by her own struggles.

Thunderbird at ASU grad shares inspirational journey from Haiti to global change-maker

Jean Kensle Figaro, a native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is set to graduate from Thunderbird School of Global Management this May with a Master of Global Management degree. His passion for creating sustainable change in his home country of Haiti and the wider Caribbean region led him to enroll at Thunderbird. 

ASU grad learns importance of international trade for global economy

Humberto Camacho was born and raised in the border town of Nogales, Arizona. As a Mexican American and bilingual speaker, he always knew he wanted to pursue a degree that would enable him to make a meaningful contribution to U.S.-Mexico relations and global cooperation.

ASU Law grad takes sports dreams to the legal field

Watching his uncle work as an entertainment lawyer and hearing his stories turned Kurt Russell onto a path that let him to ASU's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. He's the school’s Spring 2024 University Outstanding Graduate with concurrent JD and Master of Sports Law and Business degrees.

South African grad draws on lessons his mother taught, desire to work with people

Born and raised in South Africa, Barnard “Bennie” Mthembu grew up with four sisters, a brother and a single-parent mother. She taught him about the struggles often associated with getting ahead in life. He took those lessons to heart as he followed his passion to earn a social work degree from ASU.

California roots, global impact: Thunderbird at ASU grad's journey in global management

Kyle Kay was attracted to Thunderbird School of Global Management for its renowned reputation in international management and its hands-on learning approach. He will graduate this spring with a Master of Global Management and as one of Thunderbird’s Spring 2024 Dean’s Circle honorees.

Zimbabwean native graduates from Thunderbird at ASU with passion for big data and machine learning

Ngonidzashe Marvin Kanjere's lineage traces back to Malawi, with his great-grandparents settling in Zimbabwe in the early 1900s. Enrolling at Thunderbird School of Global Management, his goal was to secure a globally recognized management degree, enticed by the school's diverse concentrations.

Global logistics grad hopes to inspire others to pursue their dreams

During his time at the W. P. Carey School of Business, Kapil Bhise excelled inside and outside of the classroom, and prioritized getting involved with the student community. He served as a member of the Master of Science in Global Logistics leadership board and mentored undergraduate supply chain students through the Supply Chain Management Association.

Thunderbird at ASU grad’s journey towards a global career in human resources and event management

Phoenix native Nicole Spreitzer enrolled in the Accelerated Master of Global Management program at Thunderbird School of Global Management, seeing the opportunity to combine a bachelor's degree in global management with a master's degree in the same field for just one additional year of study. 

Honors student recognized with international business fraternity’s highest honor

Since becoming a member of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity as a first-year student, Andrew Amazeen has attended conferences in six states, built a national professional network and helped drive Delta Sigma Pi initiatives across the country.

First look at Grand Canyon inspired ASU grad to study parks, recreation

Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time can have some profound effects on people. Meranden Numkena’s experience gazing into the canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, inspired her career choice.

Public affairs grad finds fulfillment in using policy to help people

At first, Rory Wilson thought she wanted a career in forensic science, a field she said she wanted to work in since she was in high school. But her interest in police reform coupled with her desire to have an impact in solving community challenges such as homelessness led her to transfer to ASU to study public policy.

Family’s experience with law enforcement led grad to choose career in criminal justice

Perhaps ironically for Yoselin Flor-Aguilar, her family’s fear and avoidance of law enforcement officers led her to study criminology and criminal justice. A career in criminal justice, she reasoned, could allow her to bring them a sense of security “by knowing that someone with the same cultural background and possible understanding is involved in the system.”

U.S. Navy veteran transfers project management skills to a degree at ASU

Full-time student, full-time professional and U.S. Navy veteran Katie Hall has been developing her project management skills in the military and industry since 2019, but ASU brought a new dimension to her capabilities.

Psychology and neuroscience graduate will focus on mental well-being of youth

Since high school, Eliza Joy knew that psychology was her path, but first-hand internship experience with children who endure mental health challenges shaped her decision to pursue a doctorate in school psychology.

Grad's roles included mental health advocate, student government senator, researcher and volunteer 

Yash Raka, who is most proud of his advocacy for free mental health counseling for students, is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical informatics from the College of Health Solutions, a minor in economics from the W.P. Carey School of Business and honors from Barrett, The Honors College.

Graduate uses imagination to explore physics, mathematics, future in quantum information

While Phi Hung Nguyen completed two academically rigorous degrees during a shortened timeline, he still found time to further enrich his undergraduate experience with extracurriculars that encouraged him to impact the ASU community.

Math and stats grad beats the odds by overcoming serious health issues

Adam Kurth realized he wanted to study math while recovering in a Phoenix hospital bed in late 2020. He soon realized he could also apply math to something health related, so he stuck with it, eventually finding himself working at ASU's Biodesign Institute and as an intern for NASA’s Glenn Research Center.

Graduate wants to get students up and moving

College of Health Solutions doctoral graduate Kylie Wilson is working to improve the community through promoting movement and health in schools.

Veteran doing it all for his family

Arizona native and former Marine Sgt. Clayton Alexander says family is why he is so committed to his degree program, career and everything else. Alexander is graduating from the College of Health Solutions with a bachelor's in sports science and performance programming.

Former zoo employee, explores how humans connect with animals

In her dissertation, Cassandra Lyon investigated how zoos navigate anthropomorphism, or the act of assigning human attributes to non-human things. She found that it can be a useful tool in helping zoo visitors connect with animals and get invested in their wellbeing, and ultimately, their conservation.

Nontraditional grad finds her passion in biochemistry

After working as a graphic designer in the corporate world for seven years, Michele Costantino went back to school for a degree in biochemistry, followed by her PhD, demonstrating considerable grit and motivation.

Communications grad made most of time at ASU

During her time at ASU, Sophia Baldino took advantage of the wide breadth of global education opportunities ASU offers. She graduates with a degree in communication through the Hugh Downs School of Communication.

Biological student chases her dream to become a veterinarian

Growing up, Hannah McGraw didn’t always know she wanted to major in biology when she went to college, but she was certain that she wanted to be a veterinarian. She later learned that “biology was just one of the steps in my plan to get to veterinary school."

ASU graduate's interests, activities included research, coaching and more

Completing two research projects, an honors thesis and earning a perfect GPA are just a few of Sophia DeOrio’s notable accomplishments. DeOrio is graduating with a bachelor's degree in speech and hearing science from the College of Health Solutions.

Leadership and service drove ASU grad's undergraduate experience

Leadership, service and community involvement were the hallmarks of Harrison Sears’ undergraduate experience at ASU. Sears will graduate in May with bachelor’s degrees in political science and philosophy, with honors from Barrett, The Honors College.

Sun Devil Football wide receiver graduates with top engineering honors

Coben Bourguet has combined life as a Division I athlete with the rigors of a challenging academic engineering program. He has been named an Outstanding Graduate by the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Graduate who pursued PhD for conservation found passion in community building, mental health advocacy

During their college careers, some students either choose to participate in research opportunities or serve their community — but Olivia Davis, who is graduating with a PhD from ASU's biology and society program, made both a priority.

After a long journey to academia, malaria researcher graduates with PhD

Xyonane Segovia is not your average scientist. With three children and an untraditional path into academia, she’s fought harder than most to get to where she is. 

ASU grad dedicated to music, libraries and Indigenous sovereignty

Originally from Window Rock, Arizona, Nataani Hanley-Moraga has always had a talent for music, from participating in band to writing chamber music as part of the Grand Canyon Music Festival’s Native American Composer Apprentice Program.

Outstanding Graduate works to make change happen for communities with food insecurities

Arizona native and College of Health Solutions grad student Tatum Dykstra has a passion for community work and wants to see positive change in low-income communities in the Valley.

Media arts and sciences PhD redesigns community through research in human-computer interaction

Alejandra Rodriguez Vega, who is receiving her PhD from the media arts and sciences program in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering, focuses on designing with communities based on collaborative design approaches and user-centered design.

Media arts and sciences grad: ‘I am capable of doing what I previously thought was unthinkable’

Bailey Pyritz, known in the Valley’s local music scene as Kylo Gun, graduates this May with a Bachelor of Arts in media arts and sciences (music) from the School of Arts, Media and Engineering.

ASU grad found a caring honors community and opportunity at ASU

Hannah Moton’s proudest moment as an Arizona State University undergraduate student came when she saw her byline on an article in Health Affairs, a leading peer-reviewed journal of health policy thought and research.

PhD grad honed interdisciplinary skills at ASU

Graduating from Arizona State University with a PhD in chemistry, John Vant is headed to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he will build models to enhance radiation therapy, which is used to treat more than half of all cancer patients.

ASU honors student explores the depths of neuroscience, machine learning

From understanding cognition to unraveling behavior, Katrina Ager has been enthralled by the complexities and mathematical nature of the brain. This passion led her to pursue a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience from ASU’s Department of Psychology.

Graduating student discovered her passion for conservation biology thanks to ASU

Growing up, Fanny Sanchez Villarreal hadn’t heard of conservation biology until she started her biological sciences program at ASU's School of Life Sciences; however, she knew she loved ecology.

Art history graduate student: ‘Here at ASU, I learned just how capable I am’

Sarah “Gigi” Brazeal never thought she would get a college degree from a four-year university. She didn’t try that hard in high school because she knew her single mother could not afford to send her to college. But now, 23 years later, she is finally earning her BA in art history from the School of Art.

ASU graduate student merges pop culture with social psychology

Inspired by Matt Damon's survival saga in "The Martian," Alexandra Wormley found her calling in social psychology. Fascinated by the idea that our environment shapes our thoughts and behaviors, Alexandra Wormley decided to pursue a PhD in psychology, specializing in social psychology.

Outstanding Graduate supports HIV research and prevention programs

Cameron Decker has always been passionate about helping others, and during the COVID-19 pandemic began volunteering at ASU’s West Valley campus COVD-19 testing facilities collecting biological samples and matching samples to patient portals before becoming a site operations manager.

Double major named Department of Psychology’s Dean’s Medalist

Megan Nelson came to ASU with a clear goal: to get involved. Now, as she prepares to graduate this May with bachelor's degrees in psychology and biological sciences.

'I want to make things that I love': ASU grad builds artistry, community through dance

A graduate of Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Shayla Eshelman decided to study at Arizona State University after researching different dance programs. During her time at ASU, she has received the Friends of Dance Endowment grant and the Katherine Lindholm Lane Scholarship.

International chemistry grad finds community in ASU peers

With a unique fascination for chemical reactions and a dedicated interest in becoming a chemist, Bryan Kah Jhun Lau made the decision to leave his family and hometown of Rawang, an hour drive north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, to study at ASU. 

Journalism grad merges photojournalism with sustainability, design

Donovan Johnson carries a passion for photography, sustainability and design. That passion has driven Johnson to excel as a student at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Diné theater student to pursue acting in New York

From a young age, Ian King found friendship and community in theater. This spring, he is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in theatre with a concentration in acting from ASU. This fall, King will be living in New York City to pursue an MFA in acting at Pace University.

ASU grad shoots for the stars with technological leadership degree

As an active participant in the ASU Space Student Ambassador Program, Matthew Marquez was part of a tight-knit and diverse group of peers who work together to complete projects that hone vital career skills.

ASU grad tackles global challenges through applied math

Isabel Haas embraces the “master of all trades'' approach when it comes to her education at ASU, pursuing double majors while also minoring in Spanish. 

Psychology graduate empowers Indigenous voices, enhances child development

Drawing inspiration from her ancestors, Jaime Red Willow Richards, a member of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) tribe from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, she is dedicated to improving the developmental trajectories of children from diverse backgrounds.

Sustainability PhD grad committed to sustainable energy transitions, energy justice

In the face of the current climate crisis, scientists, scholars, lawmakers and corporations in the U.S. and worldwide are speeding up the shift to renewable energy systems and decarbonization. This spring, as a graduate from the College of Global Futures, Rebecca Shelton is joining this energy justice movement.

English PhD grad achieves dream of becoming 'obenfo'

As one of seven children from a working-class family in Ghana, Africa, Mohammed Sakip Iddrisu set his sights from an early age on earning a PhD from a prestigious university and becoming a professor.

ASU Law grad achieves family’s American dream

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Southern California and earning an MBA from Loyola Marymount University while working full time, Edward Gao’s next educational step was law school.

ASU grad shares her experiences as a student, worker and creative force on campus

Grace Peserik, a writer for ASU Student Life and a communications aide for the School of Politics and Global Studies, spends her time outside of work writing fiction and playing tabletop roleplay games.

ASU linguist is outstanding humanities grad

You can take a guy out of the South, but can you get rid of his accent? And does it matter? These questions were among those explored by graduating student Ryan Dekker in his doctoral research.

Grad who finished doctorate at age 17 heads STEAM program helping underserved youth

Graduating from college at age 17 is no easy feat. Doing so while heading leadership programs around the world? Even more impressive. Dorothy Jean Tillman II is taking part in commencement this spring after completing her online doctoral degree in behavioral health from the College of Health Solutions in December.

ASU Online grad channels hardship, loss to earn degree with honors

Elisha Hernandez overcame the challenge of a late start on her journey to higher education and the immense grief of losing two children, each during pregnancy. Those adversities fueled her desire to earn her degree and, in a full-circle moment, one of her classes helped her turn her experiences of loss into hospital reforms.

College of Health Solutions grad has eyes set on physician assistant school

A first-generation student with a 4.2 GPA, Sireen Ghazawna is graduating from the College of Health Solutions with a bachelor’s degree in medical studies. Born in Palestine and raised in Arizona, Ghazawna always imagined herself as an ASU student. 

Graduate student’s future is dedicated to music, community and learning

Alex Adams, who is earning his Master of Music in music learning and teaching this spring, is a musician, artist and teacher. He is also a recipient of the 2024 Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts' Outstanding Design or Arts Educator award for his work in music education.

Gym Devil standout finishes five-year ASU career with Outstanding Graduate honors

Hannah Scharf, who completed the Master of Arts in organizational leadership in the School of Applied Professional Studies during her final year of NCAA eligibility, is being recognized as the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts' Outstanding Graduate for spring 2024.

Student lands city economic development director post months before graduating

Since January, Armando Esparza has worked a few days a week as economic development and government relations director in his hometown of San Luis, Arizona. He also spends a few days in Phoenix, studying for his Master of Public Policy degree.

Popular music undergraduate launches entrepreneurial career

Undergraduate student Winston Russell Turner said he feels like the universe brought him to ASU for the popular music program, even though he originally enrolled as a journalism student. 

College of Health Solutions grad's long journey gave her a new perspective

Haley Barrong worked part time and interned at nine different institutions over the course of getting her master’s degree. It's paid off, though, and after graduating from the nutrition master’s program she'll take on a position as a dietician at Mayo Clinic.

Grad student reflects on lessons learned at Cronkite School

Hayden Cilley knew in high school that he wanted to attain his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the shortest time possible. That led Cilley to enroll in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Accelerated Master’s Program, which allowed him to receive master's and bachelor's degrees in four years.

Dance on the brain: Graduate connects passion for ballet with neuroscience

Most people would struggle to draw a connecting line between ballet and neuroscience, but for Trinity Anne Peek, the two are intrinsically connected. The more she explored neuroscience, the more ASU stood out, and this spring, the Redding, California, native will receive her Bachelor of Science in neuroscience through ASU Online.

From EMT to College of Global Futures' Outstanding Graduate

Kalyn Denton, a sustainability major and the Outstanding Undergraduate from the College of Global Futures, took the scenic route on her path to college. She moved to California from Kansas after finishing high school to serve in AmeriCorps, an experience that gave her a sense of resilience in the face of change.

Air Force veteran finds support, success through online degree program

​Sierra Boyd didn’t have high expectations of going to college while she was growing up. Now, she's graduating with her Bachelor of Science in speech and hearing science, a degree she started while enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.

Film grad pursues creative dreams in LA 

Lulu Ruiz grew up as a creative kid with a passion for art and music, creating collages, paintings and zines. Now, Ruiz is poised to graduate this spring with a BFA in film and media production, as well as the tools and social network to turn their artistic passions into a creative career.

Chemistry PhD selected as Outstanding Graduate for The College

Anuja Sharma has been busy: While a graduate student at ASU, she has published four papers in reputed scientific journals — first author on three of them — and has a fifth article under review at Green Chemistry. She has been listed as an inventor on one provisional patent application as well as a second disclosure that is under review.

Grad advocates for education, empathy through sex education work

Melanie Buathier is graduating with two degrees — one in forensic science and one in biology — but when they aren’t hitting the books they're spending time advocating for comprehensive sex education through the Sexual and Relationship Violence Program and Devils in the Bedroom. 

ASU Gammage Scholar and MFA student forges path to her future

Theater was an escape and an outlet for Crestcencia Ortiz-Barnett as a young girl in Detroit. “I learned to respect everyone who puts in the work, from the stage hand to the director, because together we tell these stories.” She graduates with a MFA in theatre directing this spring.

From pizza delivery driver to honors student

​Lucas Glick was delivering pizzas when he decided that wasn’t the life he’d ordered; he wanted more. Although he hadn’t been the best student in high school, low grades wouldn’t stop him from pursuing his dreams. This spring, due to his hard work and dedication, Glick will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in global studies.

W. P. Carey grad earns job offer through internship with tech company

A highlight of Danielle Ostrop’s undergraduate experience at Arizona State University is an internship that has led to a full-time job once she graduates this spring.

Grad's journey from ASU to the frontiers of biochemistry and beyond

There was no singular moment of inspiration that sparked Chloe Leff’s academic journey, but rather a lifelong fascination with science, math and the mysteries of medicine.

Veteran pursues career in mental health to meet demand for more counselors

When Yasmeen Duarte’s time in the U.S. Army as a combat medic was cut short with an honorable discharge after an injury, Duarte was inspired to shift her career goals from treating the physical body to treating the mind — she chose to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in counseling and applied psychological science.

Sustainable food systems grad is a leader in food advocacy

From communications and research to policy frontline, Elizabeth Reilly is working toward contributing to a more sustainable food system for the global future. Reilly is graduating this May with an online Master of Science in sustainable food systems.

Innovation in society graduate aims to ensure that the future is for everyone

For Idaho native Ava Steckel, having diverse passions is a strength. So when she attended ASU, she has sought to pursue her different interests in new and creative ways, locally and globally. 

Outstanding Undergraduate makes an impact in small communities

College of Health Solutions online student Katarina Adriano worked to aid small communities through her research while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public health.

ASU grad passionate about people, society earns degree in sociology

Kayla Rene Lynn’s academic journey has been shaped by profound moments of self-realization and a passion for social understanding. Their decision to pursue sociology was influenced by a transformative blend of experiences, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd protests.

Dean's medalist plans to pursue PhD in mathematics

Ethan Leventhal started as a math major because he loved math but wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with it. The 2024 Dean’s Medalist soon found a path for himself though and plans to pursue a PhD in algorithms, combinatorics and optimization at Georgia Tech after graduation with the aim of becoming a math professor.

ASU grad with a passion for connection pursues a future in health care

Chiara Fusciello is a biomedical sciences major, minoring in psychology, at The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Barrett, The Honors College. She also works as a facilitator with the ASU Sexual and Relationship Violence Program, and seeks a career in health care post graduation.

Double major plans to use Japanese studies in her business career

Racine Merritt is a business-minded, ambitious go-getter through and through, beginning with earning two bachelor’s degrees upon graduating this spring 2024 semester: Japanese and marketing.

Grad achieves delayed dream of graduating from a university

Mollie McCurdy was about to turn 21 and was only months away from earning an associate degree when she lost her father so she withdrew from school to help her family. Thirteen years later, she will earn a Bachelor of Science in public service and public policy, with an emphasis on law and policy.

Graduate student creates community, connects with dancers of all ages

For the last year, ASU student Alecea Housworth has been living and teaching at Mirabella at ASU, a senior living center housed on the Tempe campus, as an artist-in-residence. She is graduating this spring with an MFA in dance.

Spring graduate breaks down barriers within the criminal justice system

A first-generation student who has set the bar high for her future, Mora’s passion for criminology and criminal justice started at a young age when she found herself captivated by the many aspects of the field.

ASU graduate's journey from Zoom to global discourse

Arizona native Eden Smith, a double major in civic and economic thought and leadership and English. started her educational journey at ASU during the COVID-19 pandemic on Zoom and ended by traveling the world.

Data science grad plans to bring passion and expertise back to Minneapolis

Being a part of ASU’s data science program opened many opportunities for research and internships for Katelynn Brandwick, who is graduating summa cum laude from Barrett, The Honors College with a Bachelor of Science in data science.

First-generation grad earns master's degree in social justice and human rights

Rockell Schmidt comes across as a passionate and driven individual with a strong commitment to social justice and human rights. This spring, she is graduating with a master's degree in the field, and was nominated as an Outstanding Graduate.

Mosquito control researcher to become 'disease detective' with CDC

When it came time to choose a graduate program, Ndey Bassin Jobe realized that she could be directly helpful to those in her home country of Gambia by studying public health. Specifically, she was interested in studying the control of mosquito-borne diseases, as people in sub-Saharan Africa are affected by them at the highest rates. 

Business professor looks to the law for her future

Peggy “Amber” Montz has a Master of Educational Technology from ASU and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Now, she can add a Master of Legal Studies from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU to her list of prestigious degrees. 

Grad earns law degree while overcoming cancer

Scott Tish chose to attend the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law to earn his Master of Legal Studies as an online student from the convenience of his Colorado home due to its sterling reputation. But a big roadblock threatened his education mid-degree: He was diagnosed with cancer.

ASU grad builds community and inclusion through choral conducting and composition

Graduate student Colin Cossi has been extremely active in the choral conducting and composition communities at ASU. As a conductor he has led the Sol Singers, been a teaching assistant for the Concert Choir and a co-conductor for the ASU Choral Union, and co-taught beginning and advanced undergraduate choral conducting.

Dean's Medalist aims to pursue a path in health law and policy

Rachel Cox made it a goal to complete her undergraduate degree in under three years. She took an interdisciplinary approach to college so she could study many different disciplines and now she is graduating with two degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish literature and a Bachelor of Science in psychology.

ASU grad crafts her own path in environmental chemistry

Passionate about environmental causes and making a societal impact, learning how chemistry occurred within her everyday life offered Madison Sobol a new lens for which she could view solutions, even though it was challenging at first. 

California College of ASU grad chooses to move into a new future with cinema degree

Spinal surgery presented retired teacher Shirley A. Mitchell-Valrie with a choice: “Wallow in this chronic discomfort, or get up and make a difference.” She chose the latter and is graduating this spring with her Associate of Fine Arts in cinema from California College of ASU in downtown Los Angeles.

PhD graduate combines geological sciences and civic engagement 

If Mara Karageozian were given $40 million to solve one problem on Earth, she would bridge the gap between scientists, funding agencies and the public with STEM engagement and literacy programs. She is graduating with a doctoral degree in geological sciences and a graduate certificate in responsible innovation in science.

ASU Online history grad decides to follow her heart

Alexandra Oldfield always had an interest in history, but it wasn’t until she was on bed rest after a heart procedure, when she had ample time to herself, that she understood she wasn’t just interested in history — she was ravenous for it. 

Grad blends art and entrepreneurship, setting sights on allergy-focused startup 

Tristan Tierce has spent much of his time at ASU forging a unique path between the worlds of art and entrepreneurship. He graduates with a double major in art studies and business entrepreneurship, and with the resources provided by Venture Devils, he launch Allergy Voyage, a concierge service that hosts restaurant menus for users with allergies.

ASU Law grad uses master’s degree to fuel new career

After completing her undergraduate studies at ASU — she earned her bachelor’s degree in business law from the W. P. Carey School of Business — Camdyn Rael decided she wasn’t done pursuing higher education. 

Aspiring family life specialist aims to empower families and children

Desiri King knows the influence a good environment can have on children. Her experiences — including as a preschool teacher and then a therapist at an autism behavior center — have shaped her perspective on the importance of early childhood education and the need for empathetic, knowledgeable professionals in the field.

A family tradition: Aubrey Lines is fifth-generation ASU grad

It’s not a stretch to call the Lineses the first family of ASU. Starting with Alma Davis, who graduated from the Tempe Normal School in 1901, the Lines family has a Sun Devil lineage that is 123 years old and on May 6 will celebrate Aubrey Lines becoming a fifth-generation ASU graduate.

PhD grad’s work integrates science, technology and society to promote sustainable living

​Technology has the power to help overcome our society's greatest challenges. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges is the climate crisis — but it's a challenge Elma Hajríc, who graduates in May with a PhD in human and social dimensions of science and technology, is willing to face.

Outstanding grad overcomes many barriers to achieve her degree

As a full-time ASU employee, Cheryl Wynn began taking classes part time. But in the midst of her degree, she faced medical issues that forced her to take a break from school. Now, finally, Wynn is graduating from ASU’s School of Social Transformation with a master’s degree in gender, women and sexuality studies, along with a graduate certificate in African studies.

W. P. Carey grad finds balance and success at ASU

Andrea Salazar Calderon’s mother encouraged her to further her education at Arizona State University. Now, having graduated this May with bachelor's degrees in business administration and financial planning, she can say she fulfilled that journey.

ASU Online history grad stays close to home while pursuing academic dreams

Tallis Spalding was listening to a friend talk about pursuing a career as an archivist when a spark of curiosity zapped her out of the rut she had been trapped in for a while. 

WWII studies grad turns childhood memories into new career path

Susan Gayle Moster’s interest in WWII history long preceded her acceptance into the World War II Studies online master’s degree at ASU. Growing up in Muenster, Texas, Moster’s grandparents were local farmers near Camp Howze, a U.S. Army infantry training camp and internment German POW camp.

From GED to JD, first-generation transfer student looks forward to full scholarship to law school

James Starks isn’t your typical Dean’s Medal recipient. Starks began their collegiate journey at the age of 25 after they earned their GED during the COVID-19 lockdown. This fall, they will be attending the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law to pursue a JD on a full scholarship.

Transfer student looks forward to making a difference in her history classroom

Sydney Hott developed an affinity for U.S. history in high school, where she was inspired by a teacher to look at the whole, sometimes ugly truth, of our nation’s past, while also instilling hope for the future. 

Double major, honors student encourages others to seek what is essential

After the unexpected death of her father, Barrett Honors student Jacqueline Schisler learned one of the most important lessons during her time at ASU: that school may be important, but it’s not as important as taking care of yourself.

4+1 master's grad plans to pursue research career in applied mathematics

Jade Buzinski is graduating with a master’s degree in mathematics, after completing the accelerated 4+1 program (in only four years) through the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. During her time at ASU, she discovered a passion for research, participating in a range of projects.

Online history grad aims to fill gaps in students' education

Atticus Powell grew up in rural Kentucky and noticed something odd about his high school history books: the ones in his school told a simplified, contradictory story than those he found in his local library. Powell was disturbed by this disparity and decided to pursue a career in history education.

Grad completes inaugural complex adaptive systems science degree program

Tanya Bils, a graduate of the inaugural master’s degree program in complex adaptive systems science, offered through the School of Complex Adaptive Systems and ASU Online, says they want to change the world — and ASU helped them build the confidence to try.

Two-time Sun Devil finds fulfillment in community, family

Suzie Willyerd loves being a mom. But she also dreamed of earning her degree. This May, Willyerd’s dream comes true for the second time as she celebrates earning her Master of Science in medical nutrition from ASU.

Hugh Downs School grad embraces opportunities and excellence at ASU

Christina Reimche is graduating with a Bachelor of Science from the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication. She is also the recipient of the Dean’s Medal from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for Outstanding Academic Achievement. 

ASU Law helps international transplant reach new career heights

Russian native Mariia Sandoval moved to Arizona several years ago after graduating from Saratov State University with a bachelor’s degree in jurisprudence. She will soon graduate from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law with her Master of Laws.

Oustanding grad's capstone blends German and architecture, highlighting social justice

Lauren Swartz, who started college as a STEM major, realized her passion laid in a field that allowed her to be more creative. Now, she is graduating from the School of International Letters and Cultures with a double major in landscape architecture and German along with a business minor.

ASU Online graduate is proud to be first in family to earn a degree

Justin Brengel applied the skills and knowledge he gained from ASU Online to his Starbucks College Achievement Plan Fellowship where he worked on the brand public relations team for Starbucks.

Master's graduate uses 'global mindset' for international business management

Taylor Hess’s study abroad trip to Brazil while pursuing an undergraduate degree in marketing at West Virginia University is what solidified her interest in international business. Now, she is graduating with a master's degree in global management from ASU.

Marine Corps veteran embraces a ‘Semper Gumby’ mindset

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jonattan Robles, said his ASU journey was set in motion in March 2021, when a deployment with the veteran-led humanitarian organization Team Rubicon changed his life direction.

PhD grad combines research for comparative cultures, languages with passion for sustainability

Jacqueline Shea's journey exemplifies how studying a language degree alongside another degree can both complement and enhance your path. 

ASU grad and Marine Corps veteran sets sights on foreign service

Amber Sheardown embarked on her journey at Arizona State University after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and has been heavily involved in the community while pursuing her political science degree.

Constructing a masterful artist: ASU grad finds inspiration behind the lens

Ashish Rajapuram is graduating with a Master of Science in construction management and technology graduate, but his time in college introduced him to a new passion: photography and filmmaking.

ASU grad finds the intersection between art, photography and storytelling

In addition to working as a photographer and videographer for ASU Student Life, Cronkite School graduate Anitah Diggs co-founded ENVY Magazine with the goal of giving a voice to the Phoenix arts and culture scene.

ASU Student Life news producer reflects on her time at ASU

Devon Baggot knew she wanted to attend ASU from a very young age. This spring, Baggot is graduating with her bachelor's degree in marketing with an emphasis in digital and integrated marketing communications from the W. P. Carey School of Business. 

Grad with cerebral palsy tells her story through artwork

Liliana Flores was told by her doctors that college would be “a waste of her time.” But now, as she is graduating with her degree from ASU's School of Art, Liliana has proven that investing in her future is never a waste of time.

Student life photographer breaks ground as first-generation student

Yenifer Macias Lopez has inspired others through her evocative photography of campus life at ASU and by being the first from her family to attend university. This spring, she graduates from the W. P. Carey School of Business with a degree in business (technology). 

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ASU grad with cerebral palsy tells her story through artwork

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2024 graduates. Liliana Flores is a senior majoring in painting and drawing at The School of Art in the Herberger…

ASU grad and student life photographer breaks ground as first-generation student

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2024 graduates. When Yenifer Macias Lopez became the first in her family to attend university, she was unsure of what she…

ASU Online reaches milestone of 100,000 graduates

When David Elie completes his coursework this summer and earns two Arizona State University bachelor’s degrees, he will be part of a joyous milestone — ASU Online will reach 100,000 graduates. Elie…