Adriane Jones

Adriane Jones is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, specializing in aquatic molecular ecology. Her research focuses on microbial community dynamics and their response to environmental stressors, particularly harmful algal blooms (HABs) in urban coastal ecosystems. She employs molecular techniques like qPCR and DNA/RNA sequencing alongside traditional microscopy to study microbial food webs and toxic species such as Pseudo-nitzschia.

Education:

• PhD in Biological Sciences, University of Southern California
• BA in Biology, University of California - Santa Cruz

Research Interests: Microbial community structure and function, impacts of anthropogenic stressors on marine ecosystems, and molecular methods for monitoring HABs. She investigates how microbial taxa interact with their environment and contribute to carbon/nutrient cycling, particularly in the LA coastal basin.

Collaborations & Student Engagement: Collaborates with the University of Southern California on genome sequencing projects and engages local nonprofits like Los Angeles Waterkeepers and Heal the Bay. Founded a marine biology field course on Catalina Island and mentored six undergraduate researchers at MSMU.

Labs/Teams: Leads a research team focused on linking microbial community structure to ecosystem function, emphasizing environmental and economic consequences of HABs.