Students

Prospective Students

Research underway at the MADL includes shellfish ecology, ecological physiology, shellfish adaptation to climate change (ocean acidification, change in temperature and salinity regimes), and pathology and immunology, and employs a wide range of techniques and approaches (field studies, genomics, cell and molecular biology). Please read carefully the information available on the various pages of this website and contact Bassem Allam for more information.

Current Students

Graduate Students

Emma is just starting her first year as a PhD student in SoMAS. Before joining our lab, Emma received her bachelor’s degree in marine science and biology from the University of Miami and her master’s degree in environmental science from CUNY Queens College. Emma’s research interests broadly span the intersection of marine, organismal, and microbial ecology in the context of anthropogenic impacts. Her master’s research focused on the influence of urban sewage pollution in New York Harbor on local fish gut microbiomes. Emma plans to continue in this thread of research at the MADL by focusing on the role of microbes in the health and disease of the northern bay scallop (Argopecten irradians irradians). Aside from her research, Emma is enthusiastic about environmental education and community science.

 

Mara Riese

Mara is beginning her first year as a MS student at SoMAS. Before joining the MADL, she received her B.S. in biology from East Tennessee State University. After graduating from ETSU Mara worked with researchers at Mote’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research and Restoration in the Coral Health and Disease Lab as well as the Coral Reproduction Lab. There she assisted with research on mitigating and preventing the spread of coral diseases such as stony coral tissue loss disease. Her experiences at Mote helped spark her interest in marine disease which brought her to the MADL.

 

After completing his B.S. in Biochemistry at Stony Brook University, Wasif is beginning his first year as an MS student at SoMAS. He spent a good
chunk of time as undergraduate student at MADL, researching on the effects of ploidy on oysters. The resources of the lab allows him to work in various aspects of bivalve physiology. His research interests focus on the concepts of ageing and senescence. Questions pertaining to the causes and effects of ageing drive his curiosity, and he is currently investigating the immuno-senescence, the effects of ageing on immunity, in the northern bay scallops (Argopecten irradians irradians).

 

Brandon is beginning his first year as a PhD student at SoMAS. While completing his B.S. in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Environmental Science at Johns Hopkins University, Brandon conducted research on the construction of CRISPR-based genetic tools to investigate the cellular basis of mosquito olfaction along with evaluating the impact of anoxic particle microenvironments on rates of denitrification. He is currently working to better understand the molecular and cellular factors differentiating triploid and diploid eastern oyster cells. In the future, Brandon is looking forward to developing tools for investigating the diversity, evolution, and function of eastern oyster immune gene families to better understand their mechanisms of disease resistance.

 

Alison Whitney
Alison is beginning as an MS student in marine science at Stony Brook University. She completed her BS in marine biology from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island where she worked in the Aquatic Diagnostics Lab and developed a love of studying bivalves. There, she completed an undergraduate thesis working on using molecular techniques to track the abundances of microscopic algae that are known to cause Harmful Algal Blooms around the Northeast. This experience brought her to the MADL where she is looking into environmental stressors that impact the susceptibility of bivalves to parasitic infections.

 

Undergraduate interns:

Aneesh Abhay Deshpande (Cornell) University)
Jared Joy (SBU)
Keri Wee Jean
Harrison Zember

Undergraduate internships are available. Contact Bassem Allam for more information.

Prior Students

Graduate students

Christopher Brianik, Ph.D., 2024
Sivanna Trainer, M.Sc., 2024
Caroline Schwaner, Ph.D., 2023
Raymond Czaja, Ph.D., 2023
Sherif Abdallah, M.Sc., 2021
Michelle Barbosa, M.Sc., 2020
Yuk-Ting (Joyce) Lau, Ph.D., 2017
Kailai Wang, Ph.D., 2016
Rachel Hartman, M.Sc., 2016
Soren Dahl, Ph.D., 2015
Ewelina Rubin, Ph.D., 2014
Mickael Perrigault, Ph.D., 2010
Margaret Mars, M.Sc., 2010
Sarah Winnicki, M.Sc., 2010
Qianqian Liu, Ph.D., 2010
Jesse Hornstein, M.Sc., 2010
Margaret Homerding, M.Sc., 2009
Wade Carden, M.Sc., 2007
Deenie Bugge, M.Sc., 2006
Hua Qian, Ph.D., 2004

Postgraduate interns

Annabelle Dominguez (Cornell University, Summer 2023-Spring 2024)
Jennifer Herrera (New York University, Fall 2021-Summer 2022)

Undergraduate interns

Catharine Cipriano (Old Dominion University, Simmer 2022)
Nancy Wei (Undergraduate intern, Northwestern University, Summer 2015)
Bianca Santos, SBU, 2012-2014
Anna Hollembeak, SBU, 2013-2014
Samantha Rogers, SBU, 2013
Laura Gambino, Gettysburg College, 2012
Lauren Sussman, SBU, 2010-2012
Ciera Rhodes, Wilson College, 2011-2012
Nashwa Khalil, SBU, 2007-2008
Brian Rosenstock, SBU, 2008
Ryan Maloney, SBU, 2006
Yuk-Ting Lau, SBU, 2004-2006
Monica Chu, MIT, 2006
Jason Havelin, SBU, 2005

High school interns

Julie Jones (Pembroke Hill high school, Kansas City, MO, summer 2017)
Peter Connors (The Harker School, San Jose, CA, summer 2017)
Anya Pawar (Half Hollow Hills Central School, NY, Summer 2016)
Hannah Ritter (Half Hollow Hills Central School, NY, Summer 2016)
Brittany Ma (Great Neck High School, NY, 2014)
Sumi Varghese (Brentwood High School, NY, 2013)
Adrian Kim (Port Washington High School, NY, 2012)
Meghana Reddy (JFK Plainview High School, NY, 2012)
Laura Gambino (Miller Place High School, NY,  2010)
Richard Grove (Port Washington High School, NY, 2009)
Dahlia Hassan (Port Washington High School, NY, 2009)
Michael Loiacono (Ward Melville High School, East Setauket, NY, 2008)
Bryan Tan (SBU’s sponsored Simons fellowship program, East Islip High School, NY, 2008)
Chuan Hao Chen (SBU’s sponsored Simons fellowship program, Manhasset High School, NY, 2007)
Sophia Christides (JFK High School, Plainview, 2007)
Alexandra Hay (Jericho High School, Long Island, USA, 2006)
Brandon Moss (JFK High School, Plainview, NY, USA, 2004)

Students publications, including those of high school and undergraduate interns, can be viewed by visiting the PUBLICATIONS page.