Ziggy Marzinelli

Associate Professor Ziggy Marzinelli is a faculty member at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, specializing in marine microbiology and ecosystem restoration. His research focuses on host-microbiome interactions, kelp forest ecology, and urban marine ecosystems, with a strong emphasis on applying ecological principles to environmental solutions. He has supervised numerous PhD and Honours students, contributing to projects like Operation Crayweed aimed at restoring Sydney's underwater forests.

Marzinelli's research integrates molecular analyses with ecological theory, addressing how microbial communities influence marine holobionts and their resilience to environmental changes. He holds grants including ARC Discovery and Linkage projects, and is affiliated with the Sydney Environment Institute, Frontiers journals, and professional societies like the Ecological Society of America.

His awards include the Eureka Prize for Environmental Research (2017 finalist) and the Green Globe Award (2017). He collaborates internationally, including with Singapore's Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering. Recent work explores microbial responses to light pollution, warming impacts on sea urchins, and sewage contamination surveillance using microbial indicators.

• Supervised 9 PhD and 7 Honours students since 2013
• Co-leads projects on microbial diversity in kelp holobionts and urban marine restoration
• Published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters