People

Principal Investigator

Luisa Marcelino

Assistant Professor of Science and Engineering

Ph.D., University of Lisbon, Portugal
BS./MS., University of Lisbon, Portugal
Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology

Phone: 847-491-4035

Email: l-marcelino@northwestern.edu

Address: 2145 Sheridan Road Tech A218 Evanston, IL United States 60208

CV, Google Scholar,ResearchGate

Courses:

CEE 361-2: Public and Environmental Health
CEE 361-1: Environmental Microbiology

Graduate Students

Yuanzhe (Patrick) Su

I am from Henan, China and graduated from Tsinghua University, Beijing with B.S. in physics and mathematics. I am motivated to use physical models and mathematical tools to study fundamental biology science, protect biodiversity and pursue better healthcare. I am currently working on using a imaging modality called OCT to study optical properties of coral tissues and skeletons. As an optics engineer, I am amazed by the beauty of structural evolution in corals which achieved the delicate balance of light availability and light stress for Symbiodiniaceae.

Kayla Shen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, MS expected 2024.

Fiona Wordsfold

MEAS 2020, currently involved in modeling coral transcriptional plasticity as a side project and being a full-time environmental engineer with Brown and Caldwell.

Undergraduate Students

George Warfel

I am a junior studying Chemical Engineering and Biology with an interest in the interface between biological engineering and marine biology. As part of our team, I work to understand how corals modulate transcription in response to heat stress, which has become increasingly common as the chronic and acute pressures facing coral reefs intensify. I recently spent a semester abroad at James Cook University in Australia, where I studied coral reef ecology and marine invertebrate biology. In my free time, I enjoy sailing, SCUBA diving, and running on campus.

Kate Virsik

I am a rising sophomore, planning to major in Biology. I was awarded the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Summer Grant to do research on coral adaptation potential at the Marcelino Lab. I have been SCUBA diving for eight years, and I am currently an American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) Scientific Diver as well as a National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) Divemaster.

Maeve Brady

I am an undergraduate in the class of 2026 at Northwestern (Chemical Engineering and Data Science). I have always been passionate about the environment and have done my best to push myself and others to be sustainable. During the 2023 summer quarter, I was granted the McCormick undergraduate summer research award to work in the Marcelino lab optimizing protocols to measure changes in gene transcription imaging coral’s chromatin structure.

Andy Curran

MEAS3

Joel Hyun-Tech Kim

MEAS3

Post Docs

Shanna Davidson

Hi there, my name is Shanna! I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at NU, investigating the role of chromatin 3D structure in corals and their transcriptomic response to heat stress. Prior to my postdoc, I completed my PhD at the University of Pittsburgh (2023), working on developing novel microfluidic technologies to investigate microbial dynamics, alongside carbon capture technologies in the ocean. I am excited to be working on achieving solutions for current health and environmental challenges, particularly in the face of anthropogenic climate change. Outside of the lab, you’ll find me enjoying the outdoors with some biking and kayaking, or in my favorite place, scuba diving under water.

Tooba Varasteh

I completed my PhD in the Department of Genetics at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I am interested in Marine Omics and Symbiosis studies, with a particular focus on the mutualistic associations between coral hosts and their microbial symbionts. I have a strong background in Marine Biology and Genetics, specializing in coral holobionts. One key area of my research aims to enhance our understanding of how corals adapt to warming oceans, investigating their adaptive responses to thermal stress to support reef resilience and conservation efforts.