Noelle Held

Dr. Noelle Held is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California, affiliated with the Marine & Environmental Biology Section. Her pronouns are she/her/hers. She leads research on marine microbial ecology and biogeochemistry, with specializations in environmental proteomics, systems biology, and quantitative approaches to studying ocean ecosystems.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography and Microbial Biogeochemistry from the MIT-WHOI Joint Program (2014-2019) and a B.S. in Chemistry from Stetson University (2010-2013), where she graduated magna cum laude. She completed postdoctoral research at ETH Zürich and Eawag (2020-2023).

Research focuses on microbial decision-making in nutrient limitation, marine biogeochemical cycles, and environmental proteomics. Key areas include:

• Microbial responses to nutrient colimitation
• Protein biomarkers in marine systems
• Trichodesmium physiology and ecology
• Ocean biogeochemistry under global change

Publication analysis reveals strong emphasis on marine microbial ecology (75% of recent work), proteomic methodologies (20%), and nutrient cycling dynamics (60%). Temporal trends show increasing focus on multi-stressor interactions and microbial systems biology approaches.

Awards and honors:

• ETH Career Seed Grant (2021)
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2015)
• Barry Goldwater Scholar (2013)
• Multiple NSF REU awards (2011-2012)
• Phi Beta Kappa (2012)

Advising includes thesis supervision for graduate students Mia Franks (USC Ocean Sciences) and Rachael Peng (USC Marine & Environmental Biology). She has mentored multiple students at ETH Zurich and WHOI. Fieldwork encompasses numerous oceanographic expeditions including R.V. Atlantis (2018), R.R.S. James Cook (2017), and monthly sampling at San Pedro Ocean Time Series.

Lab activities focus on microbial biogeochemistry with specialized instrumentation for proteomic analysis. Professional affiliations include ASLO, AAAS, and American Society for Mass Spectrometry.