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Alyson Santoro is a microbial oceanographer and Professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on microbes involved in nutrient cycling in the ocean, especially of the element nitrogen. She is interested in cultivating new microbes and discovering novel ways of tracking their activity. Her research combines laboratory experiments with field observations, … Continued

Dr. Nick Baetge is a postdoctoral fellow in the Departments of Botany and Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Oregon State University. He investigates how the quality of organic substrates shapes microbial community dynamics, particularly in the context of climate-driven changes like smoke deposition. By integrating biological, geochemical, genomic, and optical data from fieldwork, laboratory experiments, … Continued

Natalie Sarno is an Ecology, Evolution and Behavior PhD Candidate in Dr. Brett Baker’s Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a B.Sc. in Aquatic Biology from The University of California, Santa Barbara. After graduating, Natalie worked at next-generation sequencing biotechnology start-ups for two years. Today, Natalie is an aspiring aquatic microbiologist … Continued

Luke Chao is Associate Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Associate Investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Chao obtained his B.S./M.S. from Brandeis University and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. His group seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying membrane shape. The Chao Lab applies an interdisciplinary approach integrating structural … Continued

Lucía Frones is a Master’s student in Biological Sciences (PEDECIBA) in the Genética Evolutiva section of the Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República (UdelaR), researcher at the Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos of the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Uruguay and professor at the Instituto de Ciencias Oceánicas, UdelaR. Her research has focused on the … Continued

Laura Eme is an evolutionary microbiologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Rhode Island, where she leads the Early Microbial Evolution Lab. She also holds a research appointment with CNRS/Université Paris-Saclay in France, working in the “Diversité, Écologie et Évolution des Microorganismes” team. Her research investigates … Continued

Juan Zanetti is a biochemist specializing in Integrated Coastal Zone Management. He is assistant professor at the University of the Republic of Uruguay (Coastal and Marine Interdisciplinary Department). His research interests are linked to the study and modeling of biogeochemical oceanic processes related to the carbon and oxygen cycles, based on metagenomic data from microbial … Continued

Dr. Jeemin Rhim is a postdoctoral researcher in the Santoro Lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Jeemin is a geomicrobiologist interested in studying how microbes, especially archaea, and their metabolic processes influence the geochemical environment around them, and vice versa. Her previous work has focused on investigating the isotope signatures of microbial … Continued

Dr. Jason R. Graff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University.  His current roles include positions within the NASA PACE (Plankton Aerosol Cloud ocean Ecosystem) Science Team, NASA PACE Validation Science Team and the Biological Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program (Bio-GO-SHIP).  Dr. Graff’s research spans … Continued

Jacob Winnikoff is a postdoctoral scholar in the Girguis Lab at Harvard University. He studies the effects of pressure, temperature, and other stressors on diverse deep-sea life, with a special focus on the fatty (lipid) membrane that surrounds all cells. As a member of the November 2025 SPARC expedition off of Uruguay, Jacob will profile … Continued