Nicho Pucci

Position

Graduate Student

Biography

Born and raised in Rome, Italy I moved to the Netherlands after high school to pursue my age-long objective of becoming a marine biologist. During my university career, my curiosity for and understanding of biological interactions expanded, especially in the context of microbial ecosystems. The reason behind this fascination was due to the realization of the fact that microorganisms are present everywhere and dominate all ecosystem on Earth, interacting with every life-form and often creating the conditions favourable for other life forms to live in that particular ecosystem. Most of my educational training and personal interest have therefore been focused on the interactions of aquatic microbial populations with one another as well as with their physical and chemical environment. Nevertheless, I always strived to broaden my practical experience by engaging in projects within different fields of marine biology/ecology. During my Bachelor thesis at the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research (NIOZ, Texel) I learned how to design and carry out research independently by studying the response of native marine invertebrates to chemosensory cues from invasive predators. The internships I then pursued during my Master training were mainly focused on consolidating my laboratory skills, as well as getting acquainted with various techniques widely used in the field of microbial ecology.

Currently I am enrolled in a two-year Biological Sciences Master degree with specialization in Freshwater & Marine Biology at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and I joined the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology (SOEST, Honolulu) to conduct my MSc thesis work. Under supervision of Dr. Craig E. Nelson I have been consolidating my bioinformatics and statistics skills while studying the dynamics of coral reef microbial communities across the Hawaiian Archipelago. In particular, my MSc thesis focuses on disentangling spatial variability patterns of microbial community composition across different coral reef habitats and biogeographical regions.