Principal Investigator
Dr. Andrew Gracey
Please go to https://dornsife.usc.edu/profile/andrew-gracey/ to view profile.
Graduate Students
Tina Nguyen(She/Her)
I’m a Ph.D. student in the Gracey lab and received my B.S. in Marine and Coastal Science from UC Davis in 2020. I am currently investigating the physiological and organismal responses of early life stage Dungeness crabs and red sea urchins under exposure to co-occurring ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH). My research incorporates
transcriptomics and morphology to characterize the effects of combined OAH on larval performance with applications to fishery management.
E-mail: tnguyen3@usc.edu
Jaycee Lanza(She/Her)
Jaycee is a 4th year PhD candidate in Marine and Environmental Biology. Her PhD work focuses on improving kelp strains for aquaculture via hybridization and ploidy manipulation, as well as understanding the genetic basis of improved strains. Jaycee is passionate about teaching and mentorship
E-mail: jlanza@usc.edu
Undergraduate and Volunteer Researchers
Alice Yin (She/They)
Alice is a third year undergraduate student studying marine biology. She is currently working on triploid kelp breeding, kelp culturing, and ploidy analysis via DAPI staining. Beyond the lab, Alice is an avid freediver, SCUBA diver, artist, and seal enthusiast.
Research interests: kelp aquaculture, reproductive biology, population biology, transcriptomics
Annie Clark (She/Her)
Annie is a third year undergraduate student majoring in environmental studies with a concentration in sustainability and society. She is planning on pursuing her masters after undergrad and is passionate about understanding and protecting marine ecosystems.
Research interests: marine ecology, reproductive biology, and the effects of environmental conditions on marine organisms
Izzy Ringman Flores (She/Her)
Izzy is a Southern California native third year undergrad studying Art and Marine Biology. She is an AAUS certified scuba diver and often helps with kelp related field work for conservation and research projects. She is interested in a career that combines her interests in art and science, such as being a scientific illustrator or an underwater photographer.
Research Interests: Kelp conservation, painting and drawing kelp morphology and life cycles
Jackie Godinez Gonzales (She/Her)
Jackie is a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in environmental studies with a minor in marine biology. She is currently working on culturing kelp and monitoring them using microscopy. In her free time, Jackie enjoys doing ceramics and exploring antique shops.
Research interests: kelp culturing, kelp microbiology, gene expression
Leo Tesoro (They/Them)
Leo is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz who majored in marine biology and is working towards PhD program opportunities in the same field. They are currently working on kelp culturing and settlement.
Research Interests: Kelp recruitment, climate change impacts on kelp ecosystem
Laura Hoberg (She/Her)
Laura is a 2nd-year undergraduate at USC who hopes to pursue biotechnology in the future.
Research interests: biotechnology and genetics
Lusine Oganesyan (She/Her)
Lusine is a senior majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Narrative Structure on the pre-medical track. She’s passionate about research to learn more about the living world around her and utilizing it as a foundation to one day advocate for modern health issues. She’s currently assisting with research on the gene expression and adaptive response of C. elegans.
Research interests: Gene expression, adaptation during environmental change, clinical studies
Naida Menoze (She/Her)
Naida is a third year undergraduate student majoring in Environmental Studies. She hopes to pursue a career as a Wildlife Biologist.
Research interests: animal behavior, habitat conservation/restoration
Steven Wei (He/Him)
Steven is a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Applied Analytics. He is currently working on culturing and genotyping hybrid kelp, kelp gametophyte ecology, and DNA barcoding, and he aims to pursue a PhD in the future.
Research interests: kelp aquaculture, oceanography, biogeography, kelp forest ecology
Yair Rubio (He/Him)
Yair Rubio is a senior studying Biological Sciences with an Emphasis in Marine Biology. He works in the Gracey Lab where he developed RNA extraction protocols, cultures kelp gametophytes, and explores anthropogenic effects on purple urchins. He is also minoring in Visual Narrative Art and is in the Student Symphony Orchestra.
Research interests: marine ecology/zoology, echinoderms, sharks, interspecies interactions, deep-sea species