Kevin H. Wong

Welcome to my website! I am an Assistant Scientist at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science (RSMAES), interested in the cell biology of weird marine critters! My research uses single-cell RNA sequencing, live-cell assays, and advanced microscopy to characterize novel cell types and understand cellular stress responses in non-model organisms. 

I received my PhD from the University of Rhode Island in the Biological and Environmental Sciences Program with a specialization in Evolution and Marine Biology.  Under the guidance of Dr. Hollie Putnam and with funding from the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship Doctoral Program and National Geographic Young Explorers Program, my dissertation research focused on the physiological and molecular implications of thermal stress on corals within and across generations. I used tools such as metabolomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics to understand the cellular mechanisms that link environmental stress to physiological outcomes. 

I then received my postdoctoral training with Dr. Nikki Traylor-Knowles at RSMAES where I developed experimental and bioinformatic approaches to annotate relevant "dark genes" (i.e. unannotated genes) in corals and ctenophores. 

I believe in open and reproducible science, as transparency is fundamental in data science and there is no point in reinventing the wheel! If you are interested in my code and data, check out my GitHub and OSF. For laboratory and field protocols, check out my online notebook and the Putnam Laboratory protocols.

For more information, check out my Google Scholar and LinkedIn.