Candidate for Assistant/Associate Professor – Marine Biologist
“Linking Life History and Molecular Plasticity to Coral Resilience in a Warming Ocean”
Date: 05/11/2026 (Monday)
Time: 10:00 AM
Speaker: Dr. Hollie M. Putnam
George and Barbara Young Endowed Chair in Biology and Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
University of Rhode Island
In Person: Hamilton 301 (Directions to Hamilton 301)
Zoom: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/87051975810 (Passcode: MBIO)
The rapidly changing climate challenges the fitness of reef-building corals by creating a mismatch between current environmental conditions and phenotypes adapted to historical regimes. Rapid compensatory responses to environmental change, together with the emergent properties of symbiosis, may provide a temporal buffer that enhances resilience to climate stress. Here, I present five case studies from Mo’orea, French Polynesia, and Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, adopting a cross–life cycle, organismal-to-molecular framework to advance our understanding of coral responses to a warming ocean. First, we identified the timing of oogenesis, spermatogenesis, and potential spawning windows through 10 months of gametogenesis observations across multiple Pocillopora species. Second, we conducted extensive in situ surveys over three years, revealing lunar and diel spawning patterns for four Pocillopora species. Third, these observations enabled precise sampling to characterize the maternal mRNA complement of eggs and early zygotic transcription in Pocillopora verrucosa larvae. Exposure of embryos to 31 °C, compared to 28 °C, during the first ~48 hours of development resulted in developmental acclimation: larvae reared at 31 °C exhibited gene expression profiles associated with more advanced developmental processes and altered lipid metabolism, with implications for pelagic larval duration. Fourth, we integrated acute thermal performance experiments with physiological measurements, gene regulatory network analyses, hub gene dynamics, and isoform switching in the adult stage of three Hawaiian coral species (Porites compressa, Montipora capitata, and Pocillopora acuta) spanning a gradient of thermal tolerance. Thermal tolerance was associated with coordinated interactions among transcriptional plasticity, network rewiring, and isoform switching. Fifth and finally, using these species as models, we applied laser capture microdissection, single-nucleus RNA sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics to resolve tissue-specific gene expression and advance methodological capabilities in coral biology. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of integrating natural history, organismal biology, and molecular mechanisms of acclimatization to improve forecasts of coral performance and enhance capacity for human interventions under climate change.
Candidate for Assistant/Associate Professor – Marine Biologist
“Predicting Coral Adaptation for Conservation Under Global Change”
Date: 05/04/2026 (Monday)
Time: 10:00 AM
Speaker: Dr. Kristina Black
Postdoctoral Scientist, NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research
In Person: Hamilton 301 (Directions to Hamilton 301)
Zoom: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/87051975810 (Passcode: MBIO)
Understanding how organisms adapt to rapidly changing environments is a central challenge in marine conservation. Integrating genomics, earth system models, and machine learning, this work identifies environmental drivers of local adaptation and predicts biological responses to climate change across heterogeneous seascapes. Applications in corals and other marine species reveal environmental gradients structuring genetic variation, predict genetic vulnerability under future climate scenarios, and project shifts in suitable habitat for at-risk populations. This work is complemented by community-engaged research conducted in collaboration with Indigenous and local partners, including studies of Arctic marine mammals and Caribbean coral reefs that integrate genetic data with community observations and priorities.
Future research will focus on corals across the Hawaiian archipelago, integrating high-resolution oceanographic projections with genomic data to identify candidate adaptive variants. Experimental validation through common garden and reciprocal transplant studies will link genotype to fitness, while predictive models forecast evolutionary responses under global change. These efforts aim to support community-led coral restoration that integrates Traditional Knowledge with quantitative ecological and genomic tools. Together, this research advances a predictive and mechanistic understanding of adaptation under global change by linking genomic data, earth system models, experimental validation, and community-driven conservation.
Candidate for Assistant/Associate Professor – Marine Biologist
“Nutrient Subsidies and the Resilience of Reef Corals to Climate Instability”
Date: 04/27/2026 (Monday)
Time: 10:00 AM
Speaker: Dr. Christopher Wall
Assistant Research Faculty, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
In Person: Hamilton 301 (Directions to Hamilton 301)
Zoom: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/87051975810
(Passcode: MBIO)
Ecosystems are connected by reciprocal transfer of nutrients and energy. These “nutrient subsidies” move across ecosystem boundaries and play a key role in supporting primary and secondary production. In nutritional symbioses, such as corals and their endosymbiotic algae, nearshore production in the form of zooplankton can serve as a critical subsidy supporting animal hosts during periods of physiological stress. In the face of accelerating climate instability, understanding mechanisms of coral physiological resilience is paramount to predicting ecological outcomes for coral reefs. One such mechanism is coral trophic plasticity, where corals in dysbiosis rely more on heterotrophic food sources (plankton, suspended particles) to meet metabolic demands. In my seminar, I will focus on the intersection of physiology and biogeochemistry in the coral-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis, highlighting how environmental change and physiological legacies shape coral stress outcomes. I will further identify how new molecular approaches (compound specific isotope analysis) are being used to understand the flexibility of animal diets and the ways consumers tap into different energy channels. Lastly, I will discuss the core philosophies of my research and teaching program and how I incorporate principles of Kūlana Noi‘i to support a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning in service of the people of Hawai‘i.
Candidate for Assistant/Associate Professor – Marine Biologist
“Drilling into Patterns of Adaptation in Coastal Marine Ecosystems”
Date: 04/29/2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 10:00 AM
Speaker: Dr. Emily Longman
Postdoctoral Associate, University of Vermont
In Person: Hamilton 301 (Directions to Hamilton 301)
Zoom: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/87051975810
(Passcode: MBIO)
Coastal ecosystems are dynamic environments that vary substantially through space and time. Current patterns of phenotypic and genomic diversity of marine species hold critical insights to understanding ecological resilience in the face of rapid environmental change. However, it can be challenging to link phenotypic variation in ecologically important traits to the underlying selective forces and genomic bases, as well as determine the influence of trait variation on community processes. Dr. Longman’s research integrates field and laboratory experiments, ecological genomics, and historical observations to advance our understanding of adaptive differentiation in marine ecosystems. Her research focuses on coastal ecosystems due to their tractability and biological diversity, with a recent focus on a non-model predatory dogwhelk. Her research spans a variety of spatial and temporal scales and crosses multiple levels of biological organization from the genotype to the ecological community. Beyond research, she is committed to training the next generation of scientists, particularly through active, hands-on learning strategies, immersive field experiences, and engagement in science communication.
Candidate for Assistant Professor – Molecular and Cellular Biologist
“From Development to Degeneration: Nuclear Control of Mitochondria in Motor Neurons”
Date: 04/21/2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 9:00 AM
Speaker: Dr. Julia Gauberg
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego
In Person: Hamilton 301 (Directions to Hamilton 301)
Zoom: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/94431784293 (Passcode: sols)
Neurons must tightly control energy production to function over a lifetime, and this challenge is especially acute for spinal motor neurons, which have exceptionally high metabolic demands. Mitochondria are the organelles responsible for producing this energy, and their proper regulation is essential for neuronal survival and function. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a shared feature across many neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting that failures in energy regulation may represent a common source of neuronal vulnerability. However, how neurons regulate mitochondrial function during development and in response to stress remains poorly understood.
Our work addresses this gap by examining how nuclear transcriptional programs regulate mitochondrial function in neurons. We recently identified the transcription factor Nuclear Factor I-A (NFIA) as a regulator of mitochondrial genes in neurons, directly linking transcriptional control to energy balance. Loss of NFIA disrupts mitochondrial ATP production, demonstrating that transcription factors traditionally studied in development also play a critical role in maintaining metabolic resilience.
In parallel, we found that NFIA is essential for proper motor neuron development and circuit assembly. Using conditional knockout mouse models, multi-omic profiling, and imaging approaches, we show that NFIA regulates motor neuron positioning, axon branching, and neuromuscular junction formation. Disruption of these developmental programs leads to disorganized nerve tracts, reduced connectivity, and persistent motor deficits that extend into adulthood.
Together, this work demonstrates that transcriptional regulation of mitochondrial function is a core feature of motor neuron identity and provides a framework for understanding how energy control, development, and aging intersect to shape neuronal vulnerability over a lifetime.
Candidate for Assistant Professor – Molecular and Cellular Biologist
“Untangling Cell Polarity, Cell Division, and Cell Fate Using Synthetic Tools in the Plant Stomatal Lineage”
Date: 04/15/2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 1:30 PM
Speaker: Dr. Aimee Uyehara
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Biology, Stanford University
In Person: Hamilton 301 (Directions to Hamilton 301)
Zoom:https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/94431784293 (Passcode: sols)
Eukaryotic cells use polarized protein domains to establish spatial cues for growth and development. Cell polarization not only enables the generation of different cell types, but also presents an opportunity to build synthetic tools that perturb developmental systems with subcellular precision. The stomatal lineage in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana provides an exciting opportunity to test new tools and questions about cell polarity in the intact multicellular context of the leaf. For instance, during stomatal development, the protein BREVIS RADIX-LIKE 2 (BRXL2) forms a polarity domain opposite to the OCTOPUS-LIKEs in a stem-cell like stomatal precursor. The two polarity domains, which exhibit functions closely tied to cytoskeletal organization and dynamics, are differentially inherited during cell division to generate daughter cells with distinct cell fates. To dissect the relationship between the cytoskeleton and cell fate, I fused BRXL2 to DeActs, a genetically encoded tool that perturbs actin, to see if we can achieve subcellular disruption of the actin cytoskeleton. Next, we fused a vhhGFP nanobody to OPL2 to disrupt the OPL2-BRXL2 polarity domains. Arabidopsis plants expressing both the OPL2-nanobody and BRXL2-YFP in a brxq background display phenotypes consistent with changes to cell fate and morphology. These tools allow us to perturb plant cell polarity in novel ways and therefore improve our understanding of the relationship between cell polarity, cell division, and cell fate.
Candidate for Assistant Professor – Molecular and Cellular Biologist
“Alternative RNA Splicing Drives Innate Immune Regulation and Host-Pathogen Conflict”
Date: 03/09/2026 (Monday)
Time: 1:30 pm
Speaker: Dr. Steven Baker
Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of New Mexico
In Person: Hamilton 301 (Directions to Hamilton 301)
Zoom: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/94431784293 (Passcode: sols)
Vertebrate cells rapidly respond to viral infection by activating >1,000 interferon-stimulated genes, creating an antiviral state that is generally unfavorable for viral infection. However, viruses rapidly evolve to adapt to hosts and immune environments and often encode antagonists that subvert host immunity. Although interferon stimulated genes are easily identified through mRNA sequencing and differential gene expression, much less is known about how alternative mRNA splicing impacts the interferon-induced transcriptome. Nearly all human genes are alternatively spliced, giving rise to multiple transcript variants per gene that often contain different functions. The Baker lab uses influenza virus infection in cell culture as a model with the ultimate goal of characterizing the innate immune RNA splicing repertoire that contributes to immunity. As part of these efforts, we identified a novel splice transcript of the immune gene ISG15 using long- and short-read RNA-sequencing. This non-canonical ISG15 variant potently restricts influenza A virus infection, but extant influenza viruses encode an antagonist that limits the antiviral activity of non-canonical ISG15. Our continued work to determine the mechanism by which non-canonical ISG15 restricts influenza and to identify novel host splicing events involved in viral infection will together unravel hidden functions of the innate immune system. By understanding the innate immune RNA splicing repertoire we can develop new therapeutic avenues to alleviate inflammatory and infectious diseases.
Candidate for Assistant Professor – Molecular and Cellular Biologist
“Spatiotemporal Patterning of Cell Lysis Shapes Biofilm Matrix Morphogenesis in P. aeruginosa“
Date: 03/04/2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 1:30 pm
Speaker: Dr. Georgia Squyres
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Biology, California Institute of Technology
In Person: Hamilton 301 (Directions to Hamilton 301)
Zoom: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/94431784293 (Passcode: sols)
Most microbes on Earth live in biofilms: dense, multicellular communities in which thousands to millions of microbes live and work together. These biofilms shape our health and our planet, including causing treatment-resistant infections. However, it has remained largely unclear how the biofilm’s myriad functions are orchestrated at the single-cell level. Individual bacteria in the biofilm must respond to the biofilm microenvironment and carry out specific tasks depending on their location in space and time. One such task is programmed cell lysis: as the biofilm grows, individual cells lyse and release eDNA, a necessary component of the biofilm matrix. How is programmed cell lysis organized during biofilm development, and how is this coordination achieved? To investigate the spatiotemporal regulation of cell lysis in bacterial biofilms, we use microfluidic and live-cell fluorescence microscopy tools to image Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms at single cell resolution throughout their development. We use this imaging to construct a 4D map, identifying when and where cell lysis occurs during biofilm development and visualizing the resulting structure of the eDNA matrix. This mapping reveals that lysis is restricted to a specific biofilm zone. Simulations indicate that this patterning couples cell lysis to growth, more uniformly distributing eDNA throughout the biofilm. Finally, we find that patterning of cell lysis is organized by nutrient gradients that act as positioning cues. This work indicates strategies that microbes in biofilms can use to pattern their behavior in space and time, and ways in which single-cell scale organization can explain biofilm-scale function.