معرفی
François O. Seneca is a Senior Researcher at the Monaco Scientific Centre (Centre Scientifique de Monaco), focusing on marine molecular ecology and coral reef resilience. He holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from James Cook University (2010), a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and has conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station and the Kewalo Marine Laboratory. His work integrates molecular techniques with ecological studies to address coral stress responses to climate change, pollution, and disease.
Education:
- PhD in Molecular Biology, James Cook University (2010)
- B.S. in Zoology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Research Interests: Host-pathogen interactions, coral adaptation to climate change, eco-toxico-transcriptomics, and coral reef health diagnostics. He leads projects developing biomarker assays for sublethal stress detection and studies coral resilience in extreme environments like Ofu’s backreef in American Samoa.
Key Projects:
- Development of Aiptasia anemone as a model for host-pathogen interactions
- Land-based pollution effects on coral health in Hawaiʻi
- Heat tolerance mechanisms in corals from Ofu’s highly variable pools
Labs & Collaborations: Collaborates with Prof. Robert Richmond (Kewalo Marine Lab), Prof. Stephen Palumbi (Stanford), and Dr. Dorota Czerucka (Monaco). Participates in the Monaco Explorations campaign aboard the YERSIN.
Future Work: Expanding studies on coral immune responses, pollution detoxification pathways, and global coral reef conservation strategies.
