People

Dr. Amy Moran

I am a marine physiological ecologist with broad interests in invertebrate form, function, and evolution. Research in the Moran Lab is diverse, combining laboratory and field approaches to understanding how marine organisms respond to environmental change on multiple time scales, and in marine environments from the intertidal to the deep sea and from the tropics to the Antarctic.

Read about the graduate students and researchers in the Moran lab and their interests below!

photo by R. McLachlan

Recent Graduates and Current Lab Members

Emma Lewis

PhD student, Biology/OIMB. I am a first-year PhD student interested in the interdisciplinary effects of changing ocean conditions on calcifying marine invertebrates. I study how these organisms alter their physiological processes in response to climate change and what this means for their survival and the health of their ecosystems.

Dr. Caitlyn Genovese

PhD May 2024, Zoology Program. My research investigates the effects of temperature on life history traits and larval thermal tolerance, including intergenerational effects, or how adult thermal history changes the temperature tolerance of their offspring. Caitlyn defended her dissertation on April 5, 2024, and is currently a Fish and Wildlife Biologist at the PIFWO branch of the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Honolulu.

Dr. Kanoe Morishige

PhD May 2025, Marine Biology Program. I conduct interdisciplinary research integrating indigenous knowledge and research to support community-based management of coastal ecosystems. I am interested in reproduction and larval biology of marine invertebrates, particularly hā'uke'uke, in Hawai'i and other Pacific islands. Kanoe successfully defended her PhD on Dec. 2, 2024, and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at UHM.

Dr. Gabi Mukai

PhD May 2025, Zoology Program. My research combines laboratory and modelling approaches to understanding the transport of larvae between islands of the Hawaiian archipelago and around the Pacific. I also work with the NOAA Pacific marine fisheries lab researching 'ōpelu aggregation behavior. Gabi successfully defended her PhD on March 14, 2025 and is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Oceanography Department at UHM.

Dr. Graham Lobert

PhD May 2025, Zoology Program. I'm interested in the effects of temperature on embryological and larval development in a range of marine invertebrates, particularly sea spiders. I have worked extensively on cold-temperature metabolism and benthic ecology in Antarctic systems and deployed for two long field seasons at McMurdo Station. Graham defended his dissertation on May 2nd, 2025 and is currently a visiting professor at Alma College.

Dr. Ming Wei Aaron Toh

PhD May 2025, Zoology Program. My research focuses on the larval and visual ecology of Antarctic invertebrates, particularly sea spiders and nudibranchs. I have considerable field experience in Antarctica and as past advisory board member at the Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO). Aaron defended their dissertation on April 22, 2025.

Ethan Nash

MS May 2025, Marine Biology program. My research focuses on the planktonic duration and phenotypic plasticity of the larvae of echinoderms found within the Hawaiian Islands and other Indo-Pacific archipelagos. I'm interested in the connectivity of the oceans as well as how echinoderm larvae acclimate and adapt to changing ocean conditions. Ethan \defended his thesis on April 30, 2025 and is currently a Marine Technician with NOAA.

Megan Potapa

BA graduate, Marine Biology. I'm currently working as a technician in the larval lab studying echinoderm larvae. I hope to continue future research in invertebrate larval development, possibly focusing on echinoderms or molluscs.

Nicole Giannetti

MS student, Animal Science. I am currently one of the lab technicians involved in the larval development project, where I help rear and study sea urchin larvae. I also work in the WormLab with offshore benthic samples, where I classify and identify polychaete worms and other invertebrates for a biomonitoring research project.

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