Lab Members

Dr. Steve Vollmer, Principal Investigator

Associate Professor, Marine and Environmental Sciences

Google Scholar | GitHub PhD, Harvard University

Evolutionary biologist specializing in the genomics on non-model, marine organisms. I primarily study coral disease resistance, immunology, and coral-pathogen interactions at the molecular and organismal level. I use field and tank experiments and genomics to unravel the complex interactions between the coral animal host, its algal symbionts and its numerous microbes. I teach BIOL 2301 Genetics and Molecular Biology and EEMB 5505 Biology of Corals.

Dr. Jason Selwyn, NSF Postdoctoral Researcher

Google Scholar | GitHub PhD, Texas A&M Corpus Christi

Computational biologist and statistician. My NSF postdoctoral research focus on the genomic signatures of coral disease resistance and the statistical analyses of genomic and ecological data. My PhD research focused on understanding the interaction between habitat quality and dispersal dynamics in Caribbean reef gobies.

Brecia Despard, PhD Student

Google Scholar | BS and MS, Northeastern University

My research focuses on the role of microRNAs in coral disease resistance and immunity using staghorn corals and White Band Disease as a model system. I joined the Vollmer lab as a PhD student in 2021 after completing my MS in Bioinformatics.

Emily Trytten, PhD Student

BS University of California, San Diego

My research focuses on identify coral pathogens and mutualist using coral-microbial filtration, manipulation and metagenomic techniques. I joined the Vollmer lab as a PhD student in 2022.

Kai Galvan-Dubois, PhD Student

BS Cornell University

I am interesting in characterizing the pathogens associated with Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. I joined the Vollmer lab as a PhD student in 2023.