Dr. Federica Scucchia

| EDUCATION

November 2019 – January 2023

Ph.D. Marine Biology, University of Haifa, Israel

PI: Prof. Tali Mass

Thesis: “Influence of environmental stressors on the physiology, morphology and gene expression of corals, from juvenile to adult stages”.

September 2017 – June 2018

M.Sc. Study Abroad Program, Marine Biology, University of Santa Barbara, US

October 2016 – March 2019

M.Sc. Marine Biology, University of Bologna, Italy

Supervisor: Prof. Silvia Franzellitti

Thesis: “Transcriptional profiles inferring thermal stress responses of the coral Oculina patagonica compared to other Mediterranean coral species”.

October 2013 – October 2016

B.Sc. Biological Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy

Supervisor: Dr. Silvia Foglini

Thesis: “Cold Water Corals Habitat Mapping in the Adriatic Sea”.

  | FUNDING AND AWARDS

• 2024 - Postdoc Travel Award, University of Florida (US $1000)

• 2022 – Oren Berko Prize for Excellence, The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat (US $1500)

• 2022 - The Israel Academy of Sciences, Aharon and Ephraim Katzir Grant (US $5000)

• 2022 - Israel Data Science Initiative (IDSI) Cloud Computing grant (US $2000)

• 2021 - 2nd place poster award, Marine Biology Departmental symposium, Haifa University

• 2020 - 1st place lecture award, Marine Biology Departmental symposium, Haifa University

• 2017 - Overseas Study Program Award, funding covering one year of study at UCSB, Santa Barbara, California, USA

  | TALKS

• 2024 - Invited talk - F. Scucchia, A. Malik, H. M. Putnam, T. Mass_Gene expression responses of stony corals to ocean acidification from shallow to mesophotic reefs. NOAA Omics Seminar Series

• 2023 - Invited talk - F. Scucchia, P. Zaslansky, C. Boote, A. Doheny, T. Mass, E. Camp_Evaluating the role of stress-hardened corals living in extreme environments. First Status Seminar of the DFG Priority Programme “Tropical Climate Variability & Coral Reefs” (SPP 2299), Bremen, Germany

• 2022 - Invited talk - F. Scucchia, K. Sauer, P. Zaslansky, T. Mass_ Using artificial intelligence to examine the biomineralization response to Ocean Acidification of newly settled coral recruits. Biomineralization Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) 2022, Barcelona, Spain

• 2022 - Invited talk - F. Scucchia, K. Sauer, P. Zaslansky, T. Mass_ Artificial intelligence as a tool to study the 3D skeletal architecture in newly settled coral recruits: insights into the effects of Ocean Acidification on coral biomineralization. Goldschmidt Conference 2022, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA

• 2021 - Invited talk - F. Scucchia, P. Zaslansky, T. Mass_ Insights into the biomineralization response to ocean acidification in newly settled coral recruits. BESSY Science Seminar Series 2021, HZB (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin)

• 2021 - F. Scucchia, A. Malik, P. Zaslansky, H. M. Putnam, T. Mass_ Insights into the biomineralization response to ocean acidification in newly settled recruits of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata. 16th International Symposium on Biomineralization (BIOMIN XVI), online event

• 2021 - F. Scucchia, A. Malik, P. Zaslansky, H. M. Putnam, T. Mass_ Response of Stylophora pistillata primary polyps to decreasing seawater pH. PSB 2021: Bioinformatics of Corals Workshop, online event

  | RESEARCH TRAVEL

• 2022 - Six weeks at HIMB (Hawai’ian Institute of Marine Biology) in Kanehoe Bay (O’ahu, Hawai’i) to conduct pH-temperature stress experiments with coral larvae

• 2022 - One week at the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) in Grenoble (France) to scan coral spats samples at the ID19 beamline and obtain high-resolution tomography data

• 2021 - Five weeks visit to the Charité-Universitätsmedizin (Berlin) in the lab of Dr. Paul Zaslansky: processing and reconstruction of x-ray tomography data acquired with synchrotron radiation (beamline) of coral primary polyps’ skeletons

• 2018 - Three weeks visit to the Coral Biomineralization and Physiology Lab of Prof. Tali Mass at the Leon Charney School of Marine Sciences (Haifa, Israel): performed a heat-shock experiment to study the thermal stress response of corals (part of the Master thesis work)

• 2018 - Two weeks internship for the SBC LTER (Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research Project). Main activities: fish and kelp surveys data analysis, lab processing of kelp tissue

• 2016 - Two weeks oceanographic campaign for the CNR ISMAR Bologna (Italy). Habitat mapping of Cold Water Corals in the Bari Canyon for the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Main activities: bathymetric data analysis and processing (ArcGIS), ROV videos analysis (ADELIE), mapping of cold water corals habitats (ArcGIS)

  | LABORATORY EXPERIENCE

Molecular

• DNA and RNA extraction from coral tissue

• cDNA synthesis, synthesis, primers design, gel electrophoresis, PCR, qPCR

• Nanodrop and TapeStation analysis of DNA and RNA

• DNA methylation enrichment using Methyl Binding Domain protein

• Library preparation from the enriched methylated DNA fraction

• Protein isolation with FPLC, SDS-PAGE

• Gene cloning, vector design, microinjections, transfections

• In situ hybridization

• DNA gel purification

Microscopy

• Imaging and quantification of chlorophyll-a and GFPs fluorescence with inverted fluorescent microscope

• Labeling of coral polyps with Calcein Blue and calcein fluorescence quantification with inverted fluorescent microscope

• Imaging and analysis of coral primary polyps and adults skeletons with scanning electron microscope (SEM)

• Analysis of micro-CT scan images and quantification of coral skeletal thickness

• Processing of synchrotron x-ray tomography data. Tools used: TomoTools, NRecon, CTVox, Dragonfly, FIJI

• Imaging of live and fixed polyps with confocal microscope

Physiology

• Coral protein concentration assays, symbiotic algae count, chlorophyll-a concentration assays

• Assessment of coral symbiotic algae photo-physiology using Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) fluorometry

• Assessment of coral respiration rates using oxygen chambers

Computational

• RStudio, GitHub

• Knowledge of most basic statistical methods used in biological data

• Basic Linux Shell scripting language

• Bioinformatics: whole-transcriptome RNA-Seq analysis. Tools used: STAR, HISAT2, StringTie, DIAMOND, DESeq, GOseq, GSEA, GATK

Other

• Collection of coral samples (larvae and adults) from the field (SCUBA diving)

• Maintenance and care of coral fragments in outdoor water table systems

• Maintenance and care of sea anemones individuals

  | TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• 2022-2023 - Mentoring Master students at the University of Haifa 

• 2021 - Graduate course teaching assistant, Marine Photosynthesis; Interuniversity institute for marine sciences (IUI), Eilat, Israel

• 2020 - Graduate course teaching assistant, Biology of Corals; Interuniversity institute for marine sciences (IUI), Eilat, Israel

• 2019 - Graduate course teaching assistant, Marine Venoms and Defense Systems; Interuniversity institute for marine sciences (IUI), Eilat, Israel

  | QUALIFICATIONS

• Master Diver, Scuba Schools International (SSI)

• Scientific Diver, American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS)