Maria Jung

Maria Jung is a Research Associate at the University of Western Australia's (UWA) Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences. Her current research focuses on seagrass response mechanisms to environmental pressures, particularly early stress detection and loss prevention. Previously, she studied physiological coral-symbiont interactions in response to climate change. She has held roles such as Environmental Consultant at The Knodes Network and Research Assistant at The Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.

Maria Jung holds the following academic qualifications:

• PhD in Marine Biology: Seagrasses under environmental pressures: advancing performance assessment through metabolomics (The University of Western Australia, 2014–2024, awarded August 2023)
• M.Sc. in Marine Biology: Energy reserves and symbiont dynamics of Acropora aspera during and after a natural bleaching event in northwest Australia (University of Bremen, awarded June 2018)
• B.Sc. in Biology with a major in Marine Biology: The effect of ocean acidification on the photosymbiosis of two scleractinian coral species (University of Bremen, awarded September 2015)

Her research interests span seagrass health and recovery in Cockburn Sound, using a multi-disciplinary approach that combines physiology, metabolomics, microbial analysis, and in-situ microsensing. She also investigates coral reef biology, climate change impacts, and environmental stress responses. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly climate action and life below water.

Her recent articles emphasize the application of metabolomics and molecular approaches to study seagrass resilience under climate change, including responses to heatwaves and sediment dynamics. These studies highlight species-specific adaptations and the development of biomarkers for ecological monitoring.

Maria Jung has received several awards, including:

• Postgraduate student's association week (UWA) - September 2022
• Grieve memorial travel award - July 2022
• Holsworth wildlife research endowment - July 2022
• UWA graduate research travel award - July 2022
• Graduate women (WA) Mary Walters Bursary - Science - September 2021

In teaching, she organized and oversaw student projects, evaluated assignments, and coached scientific communication at UWA (2021–2023). Her grants include leading the WAMSI Westport Project on sediment-seagrass dynamics and co-leading initiatives on environmental stressors and biomarker development. She collaborates within interdisciplinary teams at UWA and international institutions to advance marine conservation strategies.

Maria Jung’s work is anchored in the UWA Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences, with active collaborations on marine heatwaves, nutrient cycling, and biogeochemical processes in coastal ecosystems. Her research aims to bridge molecular techniques with ecological applications for sustainable marine management.