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faculty
Pia Moisander, PhD
Professor
Biology
Professor
SMAST / Estuarine & Ocean Sciences
Contact
508-999-8222
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Violette Research Addition 209
Contact
508-999-8222
roqkucpfgtBwocuuf0gfw
Violette Research Addition 209
Education
| 2002 | University of North Carolina Chapel Hill | PhD in Marine Science |
| 1996 | University of Helsinki, Finland | MS in Limnology |
Teaching
- Marine Microbiology
- Capstone Research
- General Microbiology Laboratory
Teaching
Programs
Programs
Teaching
Courses
The nature and diversity of microorganisms. Special emphasis is placed on bacterial cytology, nutrition, physiology, and growth. Topics on the significance of microorganisms in the environment and the evolutionary relationships of microorganisms are included.
Taxonomy, physiology, and the role of heterotrophic microorganisms in the marine environment. The viruses will also be considered. Emphasis will be placed on the activities of the viruses, bacteria, and the fungi in the marine environment in the laboratory, exercises will be conducted on the methods of enumeration, detection of selected physiological groups, uptake and deputation of microorganisms by shellfish, marine Bo, and the influence of environmental parameters on the growth and activities of marine microorganisms.
Taxonomy, physiology, and the role of heterotrophic microorganisms in the marine environment. The viruses will also be considered. Emphasis will be placed on the activities of the viruses, bacteria, and the fungi in the marine environment in the laboratory, exercises will be conducted on the methods of enumeration, detection of selected physiological groups, uptake and deputation of microorganisms by shellfish, marine Bo, and the influence of environmental parameters on the growth and activities of marine microorganisms.
Each student will present a seminar related to the current semester's theme and based on several contemporary publications. Students are responsible for preparing a comprehensive bibliography, an abstract, and evaluations of peers' seminars. (One semester required; maximum two credits towards MS degree.)
Taxonomy, physiology, and the role of heterotrophic microorganisms in the marine environment. The viruses will also be considered. Emphasis will be placed on the activities of the viruses, bacteria, and the fungi in the marine environment in the laboratory, exercises will be conducted on the methods of enumeration, detection of selected physiological groups, uptake and deputation of microorganisms by shellfish, marine Bo, and the influence of environmental parameters on the growth and activities of marine microorganisms.
Taxonomy, physiology, and the role of heterotrophic microorganisms in the marine environment. The viruses will also be considered. Emphasis will be placed on the activities of the viruses, bacteria, and the fungi in the marine environment in the laboratory, exercises will be conducted on the methods of enumeration, detection of selected physiological groups, uptake and deputation of microorganisms by shellfish, marine Bo, and the influence of environmental parameters on the growth and activities of marine microorganisms.
Terms and hours to be arranged. Graded A-F.
Terms and hours to be arranged. Graded A-F.
Terms and hours to be arranged. Graded A-F.
Terms and hours to be arranged. Graded A-F.
Research
Research activities
- Office of Naval Research, Marine Undersea Technology Research Program. Advances in marine technology: New solutions to biofouling. 2020-2023.
- University-Industry Collaborative Seed Funding Program. Assessment of biological fate of microplastics discharged from wastewater treatment plants in Massachusetts
- Boston Engineering Corporation (Naval Sea Systems). Influence of UV light on marine biofilms. 2016-2019
- EAGER: Collaborative Research: Detection limit in oceanic nitrogen fixation measurements - Constraints of rates from the mesopelagic ocean. NSF-Chemical Oceanography. 2017-2018.
- Microbial associations in zooplankton: significance for the marine nitrogen cycle. NSF-Biological Oceanography. Sep 15, 2011 - August 31, 2016
Research
Research awards
- $ 54,927 awarded by TIPD, LLC for Transparent Surface Coatings in Marine Antifouling
- $ 6,300 awarded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology for Reference Tidal Turbine for Research and Outreach-FTIR-microscopy for characterization of microplastics in seawater
- $ 5,000 awarded by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for Developing Flow Cytometry as a Monitoring Tool for Detection of Micro-and Nanoplastics in Seawater
- $ 811,936 awarded by MASSACHUSETTS TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATIVE for The Marine and Environmental Testing Laboratory
- $ 399,666 awarded by Office of Naval Research for UMassD MUST I: Advances in Underwater Marine Technology: New Solutions to Biofouling
Research
Research interests
- Marine microbiology
- Microbiomes
- Microbial community ecology
- Biofilms
Select publications
- Naik AT, Kamensky KM, Hellum AM, Moisander PH (2023).
Disturbance frequency directs microbial community succession in marine biofilms exposed to shear
mSphere, 8, e00248-23. - Nuttall RA, Moisander PH (2023).
Vibrio cyclitrophicus population-specific biofilm formation and epibiotic growth on marine copepods
Environmental Microbiology, 25, 2534-2548. - Meiler S, Britten GL, Dutkiewicz S, Moisander PH, Follows MJ. (2023).
Challenges and opportunities in connecting gene count observations with ocean biogeochemical models; Reply to Zehr and Riemann
Limnology and Oceanography, 68, 1413-1416. - Moisander PH, Daley M, *Shoemaker KM, Kolte V, Sharma G, Garlick K. (2022).
Nitrogen fixation influenced by phosphorus and nitrogen availability in the benthic bloom-forming cyanobacterium Hydrocoleum sp. identified in a temperate marine lagoon
Journal of Phycology, 58, 377-391.
Pia H. Moisander, PhD is a Professor at the Department of Biology and holds an Affiliate position at the Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences, School of Marine Science and Technology.
Her research interests include marine microbial ecology, with emphasis on the microbial influence in marine biogeochemical cycles; specifically, the nitrogen cycle. The research combines molecular, genomic, microbiological, and biogeochemical approaches. Recent research focus on marine zooplankton microbiomes, nitrogen fixation, and biofilms.
Dr. Moisander has authored >60 peer-reviewed publications and has received grant support from sources including NSF Biological Oceanography, NSF Chemical Oceanography, NSF Division of Environmental Biology, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USGS, US Department of Energy, and via contracts with several private and non-profit organizations.
Past awards include an ASLA-Fulbright fellowship and a National Research Council Research Associateship at the NASA Ames Research Center.
Additional links
- Google Scholar
- Programs: Integrative Biology PhD Program
- Programs: Intercampus Marine Science Graduate Program
- Affiliate Faculty appointment: Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences, SMAST