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faculty
Pia Moisander, PhD she/her/hers
Professor
Biology
Professor
SMAST / Estuarine & Ocean Sciences
Contact
508-999-8222
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Violette Research 209
Contact
508-999-8222
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Violette Research 209
Education
| 2002 | University of North Carolina Chapel Hill | PhD in Marine Science |
| 1996 | University of Helsinki, Finland | MS in Limnology |
Teaching
- Marine Microbiology
- General Microbiology Laboratory
- Biology of Cells 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.
In-depth study of a specific area in biology, leading to independent research addressing a biological question. Research results will be presented in a professional-style poster at a research symposium. Attendance at biology department seminars is also required.
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.
Investigations of a fundamental and/or applied nature representing an original contribution to the scholarly research literature of the field. PhD dissertations are often published in refereed journals or presented at major conferences. A written dissertation must be completed in accordance with the rules of the Graduate School and the School for Marine Science and Technology. Admission to the course is based on successful completion of the PhD comprehensive examination and submission of a formal proposal endorsed by the student's graduate committee and submitted to the SMAST Graduate Program Director.
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
- $ 5,000 awarded by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for Developing Flow Cytometry as a Monitoring Tool for Detection of Micro-and Nanoplastics in Seawater
- $ 399,666 awarded by Office of Naval Research for UMassD MUST I: Advances in Underwater Marine Technology: New Solutions to Biofouling
- $ 197,813 awarded by Office of Naval Research for UMassD MUST I: Anti-biofouling Property and Lifetime of Super-Hydrophobic Surfaces in Marine Environment
Research
Research interests
- Marine microbial ecology
- Marine nitrogen cycle
- Marine biofouling
Select publications
- 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. - Naik A, Smithers M, Moisander PH. (2022).
Impacts of UV-C irradiation on marine biofilm community succession
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 88, 4. - Kamensky KM, Hellum AM, Mukherjee R, Naik AT, Moisander PH (2020).
Underwater shear-based grooming of marine biofouling using a non-contact Bernoulli pad device
Biofouling, 36, 951-964.
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.
Featured on
External links
- Google Scholar
- Programs: Integrative Biology PhD Program
- Programs: Intercampus Marine Science Graduate Program
- Affiliate Faculty appointment: Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences, SMAST