Red Sea Research Center

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Faculty

Michael Berumen, Ph.D.
Center Director | Director of Saudi Aramco-KA...
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Coral Reef Ecology, Fish ecology, Fisheries, Ecosystems, Climate change, Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, Marin...
michael.berumen@kaust.edu.sa
Carlos M. Duarte, Ph.D.
Professor, Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in R...
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Environment, Biodiversity, Conservation biology, Ecosystem ecology, Coastal ecology Aquaculture, Carbon, Seagrass ...
carlos.duarte@kaust.edu.sa
Susana R. Agustí, Ph.D.
Professor of Marine Science
Research Interest: Enviornment, Biodiversity, Water quality, Ecology, Climate change, Marine Ecology, Ecosystems, Marine biology, Aquatic ecosystems
susana.agusti@kaust.edu.sa
Daniele Daffonchio, Ph.D.
Professor of Bioscience
Research Interest: Microbial ecology, Extreme environments, Deep sea brine pools, Mangrove ecosystem microbiology
daniele.daffonchio@kaust.edu.sa
Burton Jones, Ph.D.
Professor of Marine Science
Research Interest: Biological networks and interactions, Environment modeling, Marine ecology, Scientific visualization, Fluid mechanics, Networks an...
burt.jones@kaust.edu.sa
Xose Anxelu G. Moran, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Marine Science
Research Interest: Ecology, Climate change, Marine ecology, Marine biology, Biogeochemistry, Aquatic ecosystems, Biological Oceanography, Phytoplankt...
xelu.moran@kaust.edu.sa
Manuel Aranda Lastra, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Marine Science
Research Interest: Genomics, Symbiosis, Epigenetics, Molecular biology
manuel.aranda@kaust.edu.sa
Francesca Benzoni, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Marine Science
Research Interest: Biodiversity, Coral Reef Ecology, Marine Habitat Mapping, Biogeography, Climate Change, Coastal Conservation, Bioconstruction, Tax...
francesca.benzoni@kaust.edu.sa

Research Scientists

Alison Green, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Research Interest: Marine protected areas, Coral reefs fishes
alison.green@kaust.edu.sa
Song He, PhD
Research Scientist
Research Interest: Marine FIsh Hybridization, Hybridization Speciation, Biogeography
song.he@kaust.edu.sa
Chakkiath Paul Antony, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Research Interest: Marine microbiology, Microbial bioinformatics, Marine symbioses, Extremophiles, Bacterial metabolism, Methanotrophs/methylotrophs&...
chakkiat.antony@kaust.edu.sa
Yasser O. Abualnaja, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
Research Interest: Air-sea interaction, air-sea heat fluxes, water mass, salt and heat exchange, meso-scale ocean circulation, and Integrated Coastal...
yasser.abualnaja@Kaust.edu.sa
Anders Rostad, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
Research Interest: Marine Ecology, Acoustics, Ocean vertical carbon flux, Mesopelagic fish
anders.rostad@kaust.edu.sa
Susana Carvalho, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
Research Interest: Marine Ecology, Ecological Indicators, Environmental Impacts, Integrated Ecosystem Assessment, Biological Networks and Interaction...
susana.carvalho@kaust.edu.sa
Nathan Geraldi, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Research Interest: Marine Ecology, Fisheries, Food web interactions, Invasive Species, Anthropogenic impacts
nathan.geraldi@kaust.edu.sa
Ramona Marasco, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Research Interest: Environmental microbiology, Plant-microbe interaction, Microbial ecology of extreme environments, Mangrove microbial ecology, Agri...
ramona.marasco@kaust.edu.sa
Darren Coker, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Research Interest: Behavior, Biodiversity, Disturbances, Ecological Processes, Habitat, Marine Ecology, Reef Fishes
darren.coker@kaust.edu.sa
Malika Kheireddine, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Research Interest: Bio-optical oceanography, Biogeochemical processes, Long-term changes in phytoplankton dynamics
malika.kheireddine@kaust.edu.sa
Vincent Saderne, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Research Interest: Benthic Ecology, Carbonate Chemistry, Biogeosciences
vincent.saderne@kaust.edu.sa
Eva Aylagas Martinez, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Benthic community, Metabarcoding, Anthropogenic stressors, Biodiversity characterization
eva.aylagasmartinez@kaust.edu.sa

Research Staff

Aymere Awoke Assayie, Ph.D.
Laboratory Technician
Research Interest: Environment, Aquatic Ecology, Water quality, Limnology, Environmental Health, Water and Wastewater treatment, Ecosystem services, ...
aymere.assayie@kaust.edu.sa
Alex Kattan
Research Specialist
Research Interest: Marine conservation, Coral reef ecology, Movement ecology, Climate change, Marine protected areas, Citizen science
alexander.kattan@kaust.edu.sa
Sreejith Kottuparambil, Ph.D.
Ecotoxicologist
Research Interest: Ecotoxicology, Flow cytometry, PAM fluorometry, Algal metabolites
sreejith.kottuparambil@kaust.edu.sa
Alexandra Coello-Camba, Ph.D.
Research Specialist
Research Interest: Marine Ecology, Global Change, Oceanography, Biogeochemistry
alexandra.camba@kaust.edu.sa
Alicia Schmidt-Roach
Laboratory Assistant
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Shark ecology, movement and population genetics
alicia.schmidtroach@kaust.edu.sa
Fadiyah Baalkhuyur
Laboratory Assistant
Research Interest: Plastic pollution, Microplastics, Marine Ecology, Fish biology
fadiyah.baalkhuyur@kaust.edu.sa
Mongi Ennasri
Chemistry Research Technician
Research Interest: Marine chemistry, Environmental analysis
mongi.ennasri@kaust.edu.sa
Reny Devassy
Research Specialist
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Microphytoplankton taxonomy, Plankton biology
reny.devassy@kaust.edu.sa
Tatiana Gromova
Laboratory Assistant
Research Interest: Environmental Health and Safety, Research Safety
tatiana.gromova@kaust.edu.sa
Wajitha Jasmine Raja Mohamed Sait
Laboratory Technician
Research Interest: Molocular Biology,Genetics, Immunohistochemistry
wajitha.rajamohamedsait@kaust.edu.sa
Mustapha Ouhssain
Lab and Field Engineer
Research Interest: Biogeochemical cycles, Primary production, Phytoplankton pigments, Apparent and Inherent optical properties, Ocean color, Profilin...
mustapha.ouhssain@kaust.edu.sa
Ricardo N. Alves, Ph.D.
Research Specialist
Research Interest: Fish immune system, Fish endocrinology, UV-A and UV-B radiation, Environmental and anthropogenic stressors, Climate changes, Molec...
ricardo.alves@kaust.edu.sa
Vijayalaxmi Dasari
Laboratory Technician
Research Interest: Nutrient and metal analysis
vijayalaxmi.dasari@kaust.edu.sa
Joao Curdia, Ph.D.
Research Technician
Research Interest: Ecology, Zoology, Ecology of macrobenthic communities, Succession in ecology, Population dynamics of marine species, Data analysis...
joao.curdia@kaust.edu.sa
Fran Aparicio, Ph.D.
Biological Culture & Visualisation Technician&...
Research Interest: Phytoplankton; Marine biology; Biogeochemistry; Global change; Laboratory management; Scientific visualisation
francisco.apariciobernat@kaust.edu.sa
Pu Yin
Lab Technician
Research Interest: Marine invertebrates
pu.yin@kaust.edu.sa

Postdoctoral Fellows

Cristina Andres-Barrao, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Prokaryotes, Extremophiles, Marine ecology, Taxonomy, Genomics, Metagenomics, Transcriptomics, NGS, Data analysis
cristina.andresbarrao@kaust.edu.sa
Syed Haleem Shah, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Phytoplankton Ecology, Carbon Biogeochemistry
syedhaleem.shah@kaust.edu.sa
John Majoris, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Behavioral ecology, Biological oceanography, Aquaculture, Coral reef fish, Larval dispersal, Connectivity
john.majoris@kaust.edu.sa
Kashif Nawaz, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Computational Epigenetics, Heat tolerance, Bioinformatics
kashif.nawaz@kaust.edu.sa
Thomas DeCarlo, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Climate Change, Marine Ecology, Coral Bleaching, Acclimatization, Physical Oceanography
thomas.decarlo@kaust.edu.sa
Laura Gajdzik, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Genetics, Coral reef ecology, Functional diversity, Climate change
laura.gajdzik@kaust.edu.sa
Matteo Callegari, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Environmental Microbiology, Plant-microbe interaction, Insect-microbe interaction, Microbial ecology of extreme environments, Mang...
matteo.callegari@kaust.edu.sa
Octavio Salazar Moya, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Salinity tolerance, Halophytes, Tissue Tolerance, Saponins
octavio.salazarmoya@kaust.edu.sa
Tullia Isotta Terraneo, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
tulliaisotta.terraneo@kaust.edu.sa
Arun Prasanna Nagarajan, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Bioinformatics, Transcriptomics, Genomics, Phylogenomics
arun.nagarajan@kaust.edu.sa
Alexandra Steckbauer, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Marine Ecology, Global Change, Anthropogenic Stressors, Multiple Stressors, Environmental Impacts, Coastal Ecosystems, Reef Ecolog...
alexandra.steckbauer@kaust.edu.sa
Gregoire Michoud, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Marine Microbiology, Bioinformatics, Genomics, Extremophiles
gregoire.michoud@kaust.edu.sa
Benjamin C.C. Hume, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Pyhlogenetics, Coral, Symbiodinium
benjamin.hume@kaust.edu.sa
Sebastian Schmidt-Roach, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Evolution, Epigenetics, Coral taxonomy
sebastian.schmidtroach@kaust.edu.sa
Shannon Klein, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Marine biology, Climate change, Pollution, Acclimatization, Coral Reefs, Applied statistics
shannon.klein@kaust.edu.sa
Andrea Anton, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Marine Ecology, Global Change, Global Warming, Invasive Species, Coral Reefs, Seagrass Meadows
andrea.antongamazo@kaust.edu.sa
Daffne C. Lopez-Sandoval, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Phytoplankton ecology, Exudation, dissolved and particulate primary production, PER, UVB, nutrient limitation, 14C, 13C.
daffne.lopezsandoval@kaust.edu.sa
Guoxin Cui, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interest: Molecular Biology of Symbiosis, Bioinformatics, Transcriptomics, Genetics
guoxin.Cui@kaust.edu.sa

Ph.D. Students

Colleen Campbell
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Marine modeling, GIS, Movement
colleen.campbell@kaust.edu.sa
Francesca Giovenzana
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology Coral reef, Benthic invertebrate community, GIS, Geomorphology
francesca.giovenzana@kaust.edu.sa
Silvia Vimercati
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Coevolution, Coral reefs, Symbiosis, Biodiversity
silvia.vimercati@kaust.edu.sa
Inês Goncalves Raimundo
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine Metagenomics; Marine Microbial Ecology; Microbial Cultivation; Functional and comparative genomics; Blue Biotechnology
ines.goncalvesraimundo@kaust.edu.sa
Lucía Pombo Ayora
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Ecosystem functions, Fish ecology
lucia.pomboayora@kaust.edu.sa
Nikolaos Papagiannopoulos
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Remote Sensing, Marine Ecology
nikolaos.papagiannopoulos@kaust.edu.sa
Saeed Amin
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine Ecology, The Red Sea, Bacteria, Archaea, Macroalgae, Bioinformatics, Metagenomics, Next generation sequencing (NGS)
saeed.amin@kaust.edu.sa
Shiou-Han Hung
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Materials modeling
shiou-han.hung@kaust.edu.sa
Ashwag Asseri
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Global change, Marine ecology
ashwag.asseri@kaust.edu.sa
Xinyuan Yang
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine Ecology, Microbial ecology, Mangrove ecosystem microbiology
xinyuan.yang@kaust.edu.sa
Afrah Alothman
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Phytoplankton, Red sea
afrah.alothman@kaust.edu.sa
Alan Barozzi
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Microbial communities, Brine Pools, Extreme environemnts
alan.barozzi@kaust.edu.sa
Ananya Ashok
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine Ecology, Environmental pollution, Global Change, Oceanography
ananya.ashok@kaust.edu.sa
Chunzhi Cai
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine Ecotoxicology, Marine Mussels, Marine Algae, Heavy Metal Pollution, Metal Biokenetics
chunzhi.cai@kaust.edu.sa
Eman Sabbagh
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Red Sea, Viruses, Heterotrophic nanoflagellates, Heterotrophic bacteria, abundance, flowcytometry
eman.sabbagh@kaust.edu.sa
Hana Kanee
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Population genetics, Holobiont
hana.kanee@kaust.edu.sa
Lily Genevier
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Fisheries management, Statistical modelling, Global change biology
lily.genevier@kaust.edu.sa
Lucrezia Celeste Bonzi
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Genomics, Climate Change, Fish Biology
lucrezia.bonzi@kaust.edu.sa
Marcelle Barreto
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Coral reef ecology, Assisted evolution, Ecological genomics, Climate change
marcelle.munizbarreto@kaust.edu.sa
Najwa Al-Otaibi
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes, Heterotrophic Bacteria, Picoplankton, Flow cytometry, Red Sea
najwa.otaibi@kaust.edu.sa
Silvia Arossa
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Coral ecology, Global change biology, Marine pollution, Plastic pollution, Ecotoxicology,
silvia.arossa@kaust.edu.sa
Wally Rich
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Coral ecology, Global change biology, Species interactions
walter.richiv@kaust.edu.sa
Fatimah Sefrji
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Microbiology, Microbial biotechnology and novel isolation methods
fatimah.sefrji@kaust.edu.sa
Abbrar Labban
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Microbiology, Marine microbial ecology, Metabolic ecology, Transcriptomics
abbrar.labban@kaust.edu.sa
Lina Eyouni
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Oceanography, Physical and biological coupling, Air-Sea interactions, HF Radar, Surface Circulation
lina.eyouni@kaust.edu.sa
Matthew Tietbohl
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Food webs, Resilience, Conservation, Restoration, Biodiversity, Mesophotic reefs
matthew.tietbohl@kaust.edu.sa
Nojood Aalismail
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Airborne, Metagenomics, Marine Ecology, Immunity, Transcriptomics
nojood.aalismail@kaust.edu.sa
Lyndsey Tanabe
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine conservation, Movement ecology, Climate change, Coral bleaching, Marine protected areas
lyndsey.tanabe@kaust.edu.sa
Susann Rossbach
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Benthic ecology, Climate Change studies, Physiology
susann.rossbach@kaust.edu.sa
Rodrigo Villalobos Vazquez de la Parra
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Community ecology, Genetic diversity in coral reefs, Benthic ecology
rodrigo.villalobos@kaust.edu.sa
Michael Campbell
Ph.D. Student
michael.Campbell@kaust.edu.sa
Rúben Martins da Costa
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Infection, Functional Microbiology, Symbiosis, Proteomics
ruben.martinsdacosta@kaust.edu.sa
Royale Hardenstine
Ph.D. Student
royale.hardenstine@kaust.edu.sa
Carol Nathaly Buitrago López
Ph.D. Student
carol.buitragolopez@kaust.edu.sa
Cecilia Martin
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Microplastics, Plastic pollution, Marine debris
cecilia.martin@kaust.edu.sa
Luis Ribeiro da Silva
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Marine Ecology, Fish larvae behaviour, Bacterial production, bacterial growth, Radio-active isotope.
luis.ribeirodasilva@kaust.edu.sa
Sebastian Overmans
Ph.D. Student
Research Interest: Reef Ecology, Phytoplankton Ecophysiology, Bio-optical Oceanography, Marine Optics, UV radiation
sebastian.overmans@kaust.edu.sa

Master Students

Gloria Lisbet Gil Ramos
Master Student
Research Interest: Coral reef ecology, Marine ecology, Conservation, Biodiversity, Fish biodiversity, Reef fish, Fisheries
gloria.gilramos@kaust.edu.sa
Jessica Menzies
Master Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Molecular biology, Transcriptomics, Nitrogen cycling
jessica.menzies@kaust.adu.sa
Anieka Parry
Master Student
Research Interest: Applied Statistics, Marine Ecology, Chemical Ecology, Spectroscopy, Cnidarian symbiosis
anieka.parry@kaust.edu.sa
Anna Knochel
Master Student
Research Interest: Marine conservation, Coral symbioses, Shark and ray ecology, Microbial communities
anna.knochel@kaust.edu.sa
Irene A. Salinas Akhmadeeva
Master Student
Research Interest: Reef and Fish Ecology, MPAs, Restoration, Socio-ecological Systems
irene.salinasakhmadeeva@kaust.edu.sa
Kelly Watson
Master Student
Research Interest: Coral Reefs, Symbiosis, Molecular Biology, Ecological Genomics, Climate Change
kelly.watson.1@kaust.edu.sa
Kiana Ford
Master Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Fisheries management, Marine protected areas, Anthropogenic stressors, Marine conservation
kiana.ford@kaust.edu.sa
Micaela Justo
Master Student
Research Interest: Reef fish, Connectivity, Larval dispersal, Behavioral ecological
micaelasofia.dossantosjusto@kaust.edu.sa
Michelle-Nicole Havlik
Master Student
Research Interest: Bioacoustics, Marine biology, Coral reef ecology
michellenicole.havlik@kaust.edu.sa
Milica Predragovic
Master Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, GIS, MSP
milica.predragovic@kaust.edu.sa
Victoria Golding
Master Student
Research Interest: Coral reefs, Thermal tolerance in corals, Ecological genomics, Anthropogenic effects, Adaptation
victoria.golding.1@kaust.edu.sa
Ashlie McIvor
Master Student
Research Interest: Movement ecology, Marine Conservation, Marine Connectivity, Cartilaginous Fish
ashlie.mcivor@kaust.edu.sa
Claire Shellem
Master Student
Research Interest: Anthropogenic effects, Marine conservation, Marine ecology
claire.shellem@kaust.edu.sa
Collin Williams
Master Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Fish biology, Fisheries management
collin.williams@kaust.edu.sa
Kirsty Scott
Master Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Deep sea ecology, Deep sea coral ecology
kirsty.scott@kaust.edu.sa
Lucy Fitzgerald
Master Student
Research Interest: Marine ecology, Early life history, Fish biology, Marine conservation
lucy.fitzgerald@kaust.edu.sa
Migle Konciute
Master Student
Research Interest: Molecular biology, Coral symbiosis
migle.konciute@kaust.edu.sa
Morgan Bennett-Smith
Master Student
Research Interest: Coral reef ecology, Connectivity, Larval recruitment, Adaptation
morgan.bennett-smith@kaust.edu.sa
Nathalia Delgadillo
Master Student
Research Interest: Microbial communities, Deep-sea ecology, Biotechnology, Bioremediation.
nathalia.delgadilloordonez@kaust.edu.sa
Shannon Brown
Master Student
Research Interest: Marine invertebrates, Coral reef ecology, Marine biodiversity
shannon.brown@kaust.edu.sa
Aislinn Dunne
Master Student
Research Interest: Aquaculture, Water Quality, Marine Ecology and Conservation, Coastal Zone Management
aislinn.dunne@kaust.edu.sa

Administration

Manal S. Bamashmos
Business Manager
manal.bamashmos@kaust.edu.sa
Jin Zhu
Administrative Assistant
jin.zhu@kaust.edu.sa
Seda Gasparyan
Communications and IT officer
seda.gasparyan@kaust.edu.sa
Jassim Sultan
Laboratory Manager
jassim.sultan@kaust.edu.sa
Christine Nelson
Executive Secretary
christine.nelson@kaust.edu.sa
Ronald Cadiz
Research Integration Analyst
ronald.cadiz@kaust.edu.sa
Taskeen Begum
Research Assistant
taskeen.begum@kaust.edu.sa
Angela Alfieri
Project Assistant
angela.alfieri@kaust.edu.sa
Amr Gusti
Marine Operations Support
amr.gusti@kaust.edu.sa
Madhvi Naganand
Business Administrator
madhvi.naganand@kaust.edu.sa
Ute Langner
Geographic Information System Specialist
Research Interest: Spatial Modeling and Analysis, Scientific Visualization, Relational Database Management, GIS, Ecology
ute.langner@kaust.edu.sa