McCulloch-Crosby Chair in Marine Biology and Professor of Biological Sciences

Professor Fuhrman researches the roles of microorganisms in natural marine ecosystems and the cycling of matter in the ocean, from the microscopic scale to the global scale. He also measures human pathogenic viruses at recreational beaches as a potential health hazard, and works on innovative ways to make such measurements relatively easy and inexpensive.

E-mail: fuhrman@usc.edu
Phone: (213) 740-5757
Office: AHF 211

CV – see Google Scholar for updated publications
Google Scholar Publication List

During my PhD at University of Technology Sydney (2019-2022), I used molecular techniques to investigate microbial hazards in coastal environments. I have joined the Fuhrman lab in August 2023, and my research interests have moved beyond water quality, and I am now interested in using metagenomics to facilitate a better understanding of the distribution of marine microbes, why they are where they are, and to better understand the roles they play in major global biogeochemical cycles.

E-mail: nathanwi@usc.edu
Office: AHF 230A

My PhD was a joint program between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Hohenheim University, focusing on the development of in situ 15N2-labeling techniques and the quantification of nitrogen fixation in paddy soils. For my postdoc, I worked at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, using multi-omics to study the effects of climate changes on soil microbiomes. I joined the Fuhrman Lab in early 2024, aiming to bridge the knowledge between soil and marine microbiology.

E-mail: qbei@usc.edu

Office: AHF 230C

I graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA in 2022. I am a PhD student in the Fuhrman lab with research interests related to marine viruses and their impact on microbial community structure and biogeochemical cycles.

E-mail: ddiblasi@usc.edu
Office: AHF 230B

Jelani is a PhD Student in the Fuhrman lab, interested in using multi-omics approaches to gain insight into how marine microbes, across diverse taxa, respond to abiotic stresses and interactions with the marine virosphere.

E-mail: jelaniwi@usc.edu
Office: AHF 230C

I received my BSc. and MSc. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego in marine biology, and went on to work at research labs at the Shedd Aquarium and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, before ending up at the Fuhrman lab in January 2022. I have a strong background in using amplicon sequencing for gathering community composition data for long-term spatiotemporal studies, and am using that expertise to collect and process data for projects like SPOT and CBIOMES global ocean transects.

E-mail: lfurtado@usc.edu
Office: AHF 230B