Marie Nydam

Marie Nydam, PhD is an Associate Professor of Biology at Soka University of America, specializing in marine evolutionary genetics. She holds a BS in Evolution and Ecology from UC Davis and a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University. Her research focuses on using phylogenomic and population genetic tools to study evolutionary questions in marine organisms, particularly ascidians. Nydam actively involves undergraduate researchers in all her projects, frequently co-authoring publications with them. Her work emphasizes marine biology, ecology, genetics, and molecular biology.

Education: BS in Evolution and Ecology (UC Davis), PhD in Evolutionary Biology (Cornell University). Postdoctoral research at UC Santa Barbara's Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Department.

Research interests include understanding evolutionary processes through genetic analysis of colonial ascidians, with a focus on allorecognition genes and population dynamics. She has published extensively on topics like Botryllus schlosseri species complex dispersal, introgression in marine invertebrates, and histocompatibility locus evolution.

Notable awards include NSF grants (REU, KY EPSCoR), LUCE Initiative funding, and multiple faculty development grants. Her work bridges basic research with undergraduate mentorship, emphasizing hands-on scientific training.

Teaching responsibilities include courses like Nature and Humanity, Marine Biology, and Organisms to Ecosystems. She has held academic positions at Soka University of America (since 2012) and Centre College, where she built a research program focused on undergraduate involvement.