We are seeking a highly motivated graduate student (M.S. or Ph.D.) to join an NSF-funded research project supported by the NSF Biological Oceanography Program. The student will contribute to a collaborative, interdisciplinary project titled "Unraveling parasite, host, and environmental drivers of Diadematidae scuticociliatosis, a globally significant marine disease."

This project investigates the ecology and transmission dynamics of a newly identified ciliate pathogen, Philaster apodigitiformis (DaScPc), responsible for mass mortality in Diadema sea urchins. The successful applicant will work at the interface of microbial ecology, environmental microbiology, and disease ecology, with a focus on microbe-environment interactions.