Luisa Marcelino

Luisa Marcelino is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering. She leads a dynamic research program focused on understanding coral responses to climate change, with particular emphasis on the optical, physiological, genetic, and epigenetic mechanisms underlying coral bleaching and adaptation.

Her research interests span multiple disciplines, investigating how light scattering in coral tissue and skeleton affects symbiotic relationships, how coral-algal partnerships respond to thermal stress, and how epigenetic mechanisms can enhance coral resilience to warming oceans. She develops and applies innovative optical, phylogenetic, genetic, and epigenetic methods to study biological effects of climate change on reef-forming corals.

Dr. Marcelino's recent publications reveal trends in coral bleaching research, with increasing focus on epigenetic regulation, chromatin structure, and transcriptional plasticity as key mechanisms for coral adaptation to thermal stress. Her work bridges engineering principles with marine biology to develop non-invasive monitoring techniques and potential conservation strategies.

• CPGE Innovation Fund award (2023) for 'Changes in Chromatin structure in corals under heat stress'
• Resnick Family Social Impact Fund award for 'Physiological Plasticity and Coral's Adaptive Response to Warmer Oceans'
• Mentored students receiving McCormick and Weinberg College summer research awards

Dr. Marcelino actively advises graduate and undergraduate students in coral research, with current projects examining transcriptional plasticity, chromatin sequencing, and coral epigenetics. Her laboratory collaborates with researchers at institutions including University of Chicago, UC San Diego, James Cook University, and Shedd Aquarium, forming a multidisciplinary team addressing coral reef conservation challenges.

The Marcelino Lab operates as an interdisciplinary research hub combining engineering, biology, and environmental science approaches to understand and potentially mitigate coral bleaching. Current projects include developing optical imaging techniques for coral assessment, studying chromatin modifications during heat stress, and identifying coral-algal partnerships with enhanced thermal tolerance.