About

I am a marine biologist and eco-physiologist working to understand the role of the physical environment and biological interactions in shaping the physiology, performance, and resilience of early life stages of reef-building corals.

View more information on my LinkTree at the QR code below.

Contact me

ashuffmyer@uri.edu
URI Putnam Lab website
E5 Coral website
UW Roberts Lab website

ARIANA S. HUFFMYER, PHD

National Science Foundation Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow
UW Data Science Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Biological Sciences | University of Rhode Island
School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences | University of Washington
ashuffmyer@uri.edu

POSITIONS HELD

Time Position Affiliation  
2020-Present Postdoctoral Researcher University of Rhode Island (URI), Department of Biological Sciences University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences
2014-2020 Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH), Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB)  

EDUCATION

Date Position Affiliation
2020 PhD in Marine Biology University of Hawaii at Manoa
2014 BSc with Honors in Marine Biology, Chemistry Minor Oregon State University
  • PhD Dissertation: Getting a head start: Influential early experiences for juvenile corals and community college science students

PUBLICATIONS

Google Scholar Profile

  1. AS Huffmyer, KH Wong, DM Becker, E Strand, T Mass, HM Putnam. 2023. Multi-omic analysis of coral development elucidates the metabolic transitions from parental provisioning to endosymbiotic nutritional exchange. bioRxiv. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.20.533475v1
  2. Chiles EN, AS Huffmyer, C Drury, HM Putnam, D Bhattacharya, X Su. 2022. Stable isotope tracing reveals compartmentalized nitrogen assimilation in scleractinian corals. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.1035523
  3. Huffmyer AS, E Majerova, N Bean, C Harris, C Drury. 2022. Variable intraspecific diversity effects impact thermal tolerance in a reef-building coral. Coral Reefs 42:119-129
  4. Huffmyer AS, T O’Neill, JD Lemus. 2022. Evidence for professional conceptualization in science as an important component of science identity. CBE – Life Sciences Education 21(4): ar76
  5. Alexander G, J Hancock, AS Huffmyer, SB Matsuda. 2022. Larval thermal pre-exposure does not improve post-settlement thermal tolerance in a dominant reef-building coral, Montipora capitata. Coral Reefs 41:333-342
  6. Matsuda SB, LJ Chakravarti, R Cunning, AS Huffmyer, CE Nelson, RD Gates, MJH van Oppen. 2022. Temperature mediated acquisition of rare heterologous symbionts promotes survival of coral larvae under ocean warming. Global Change Biology 28:2006-2025
  7. Huffmyer AS, CJ Johnson, AM Epps, JD Lemus, RD Gates. Feeding and thermal conditioning enhance coral temperature tolerance in juvenile Pocillopora acuta. Royal Society Open Science 8: 210644.
  8. Barott KL, AS Huffmyer, J Davidson, EA Lenz, SB Matsuda, J Hancock, T Innis, B Glazer, C Drury, H Putnam, RD Gates. Fitness of thermally tolerant corals following transplantation supports utility of assisted gene flow for climate change remediation of coral reefs. PNAS 118: e2025435118.
  9. Innis T, L Allen-Waller, KT Brown, W Sparagon, C Carlson, E Kruse, AS Huffmyer, CE Nelson, HM Putnam, KL Barott. Marine heatwaves depress metabolic activity and impair cellular acid-base homeostasis in reef-building corals regardless of bleaching susceptibility. Global Change Biology 27: 2728-2743.
  10. Huffmyer AS, C Drury, E Majerová, JD Lemus, RD Gates. 2021. Tissue fusion and enhanced genotypic diversity support survival of juvenile Pocillopora acuta corals under thermal stress. Coral Reefs 40(2): 447-458.
  11. Roach TNF, S Yadav, C Caruso, J Dilworth, CM Foley, JR Hancock, J Huckeba, AS Huffmyer, K Hughes, VA Kahkejian, EMP Madin, SB Matsuda, M McWilliam, S Miller, EP Santoro, M Rocha de Souza, D Torres-Pulliza, C Drury, JS Madin. 2021. A field primer for monitoring benthic ecosystems using structure-from-motion photogrammetry. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 170: e61815.
  12. Hancock J, A Barrows, T Roome, AS Huffmyer, SB Matsuda, S Rahnke, N Munk, C Drury. 2021. Coral husbandry for ocean futures: leveraging abiotic factors to increase survivorship, growth, and resilience in juvenile Montipora capitata. Marine Ecology Progress Series 657:123-133.
  13. Matsuda S, AS Huffmyer, EA Lenz, J Davidson, J Hancock, A Przybylowski, T Innis, RD Gates, KL Barott. 2020. Coral bleaching susceptibility is predictive of subsequent mortality within but not between coral species. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 8:178.
  14. Huffmyer AS, SB Matsuda, AE Eggers, JD Lemus, RD Gates. 2020. Evaluation of laser scanning confocal microscopy as a method for characterizing reef-building coral tissue thickness and Symbiodiniaceae fluorescence. Journal of Experimental Biology 223(6): jeb220335. Cover image contribution.
  15. Huffmyer AS and JD Lemus. 2019. Graduate TA teaching styles impact student achievement in a research-based undergraduate science course. Journal of College Science Teaching 48(3):56-65.
  16. Meltvedt AM and C Jadot. 2014. Progression of the coral – algal phase shift in the Caribbean: a case study in Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. Marine Technology Society Journal: 48(6):33-41.

RESEARCH GRANTS

Funded

2022-2024 National Science Foundation Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship ($370,100)

2022-2023 UW eScience Data Science Postdoctoral Fellowship ($7,000)

2016-2020 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow ($114,000)

2016-2019 Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Lord Scholarship Fund ($8,500)

2016-2019 University of Hawaii at Manoa Edmondson Research Fund ($3,850)

2018-2019 Philanthropic Education Organization Scholar Award ($15,000)

2019 University of Hawaii at Manoa Graduate Student Organization Mentorship Award ($5,000)

2012-2014 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ernest Hollings Scholar ($27,000)

Honorable Mention

2022 Graduate Women in Science National Fellowship

2015 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program

PRESENTATIONS

Oral Presentations

  1. Huffmyer AS. Linking ‘omics and physiology through correlation network approaches. E5 Coral Rules of Life – Epigenetics Annual Meeting. Santa Barbara, CA, USA. January 2023.
  2. Huffmyer AS. Physiological and multi-omic signatures of shifts in symbiotic nutritional exchange in reef-building coral early life history. Benthic Ecology Conference. Portsmouth, NH, USA. March 2022.
  3. Huffmyer AS. How do dynamic environmental conditions shape coral symbiosis and metabolism and drive energetic-epigenetic linkages? Moorea Coral Reef LTER All Investigators Meeting. Virtual presentation. November 2021.
  4. Huffmyer AS and K Wong. Pathway analyses for metabolomic data. E5 Rules of Life – Epigenetics Annual Meeting. Virtual presentation. October 2021.
  5. Huffmyer AS. Metabolomics in coral early life history and application of stable isotope tracing. E5 Rules of Life – Epigenetics Annual Meeting. Virtual presentation. April 2021.
  6. Huffmyer AS. Early life history nutritional exchange in the reef coral-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis. E5 Rules of Life – Epigenetics Annual Meeting. Virtual presentation. December 2020.
  7. Huffmyer AS, T O’Neill, JD Lemus. Supporting professional science identity for science students. STEMS2 Symposium. Virtual presentation. June 2020.
  8. Huffmyer AS. Getting a head start: Influential early experiences for juvenile corals and science students. PhD Dissertation Defense. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA. January 2020.
  9. Huffmyer AS. Conditioning and physiological flexibility in juvenile corals. Coral Assisted Evolution Symposium. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Queensland, Australia. May 2019.
  10. Huffmyer AS. Strength in numbers: Fusion in juvenile corals. Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology Scholarship Symposium. Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi, USA. March 2019.
  11. Huffmyer AS and RD Gates. Getting a head start: Thermal and nutritional conditioning of juvenile corals. UHM Albert L. Tester Symposium. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA. April 2018.
  12. Hughes K, AS Huffmyer, S Matsuda, E Lenz. Coral Assisted Evolution. Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology Science Seminar Series. Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi, USA. April 2018.
  13. Huffmyer AS and RD Gates. Getting a head start: Thermal and nutritional conditioning of juvenile corals. Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology. San Francisco, California, USA. January 2018.
  14. Huffmyer AS, H Putnam, RD Gates. Parental influence on growth and survivorship of juvenile Pocillopora damicornis corals exposed to increased temperature. American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA. February 2017.
  15. Huffmyer AS and J Lemus. TA teaching styles impact student achievement in a research-based undergraduate science course. UHM Albert L. Tester Symposium. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA. April 2016.
  16. Meltvedt AM. Population structure and genetic variation in the Hawaiian Opakapaka (Pristipomoides filamentosus): Evidence of a genetic bottleneck in offspring of a captive broodstock. Undergraduate Thesis Defense. Corvallis, Oregon, USA. May 2014.
  17. Meltvedt AM. Increasing literacy in marine science: A summer education program for Hawaiʻi high school students. Hawaiʻi NOAA Scholars Symposium. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA. July 2013.
  18. Meltvedt AM. Increasing literacy in marine science: A summer education program for Hawaiʻi high school students. NOAA Hollings Scholar Symposium. August 2013. Silver Springs, Maryland, USA.
  19. Meltvedt AM, K Beem, A Carsh. Site and light: factors affecting growth rates of Saccharina sessilis kelp. Hatfield Marine Science Student Symposium. Newport, Oregon, USA. June 2013.
  20. Meltvedt AM. Reef health at Yellow Sub, Bonaire: progression of a coral-algal phase shift. CIEE Student Research Symposium. Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. November 2012.

Invited Lectures and Presentations

  1. Huffmyer AS. Understanding shifts in symbiotic and physiological state in reef-building corals across developmental and environmental gradients. Old Dominion University Biology Seminar Series. Virtual invited seminar speaker. December 2022.
  2. Huffmyer AS. Multi-omic approaches to understand reef coral development and symbiosis. University of Washington eScience Postdoctoral Fellows seminar. Virtual invited seminar speaker. November 2022.
  3. Huffmyer AS. Physiological and multi-omic signatures of shifts in symbiotic nutritional exchange in reef-building coral early life history. University of Technology Sydney Climate Change Cluster (C3). Virtual invited seminar speaker. June 2022.
  4. Huffmyer AS and HG Reich. Coral symbiosis and application of ‘omics to answer emerging questions in marine invertebrate ecophysiology. University of Rhode Island - Marine Environmental Physiology course. Virtual invited lecture. April 2021.
  5. Huffmyer AS and EA Lenz. Coral reef resiliency and recovery in the face of global climate change. ARCS Honolulu Chapter. Invited presentation. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA. February 2019.
  6. Huffmyer AS. Early life history of reef building corals. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa - Corals and Coral Reefs course. Invited lecture. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA. April 2018.
  7. Huffmyer AS. You are what you eat: Coral nutrition. University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa Corals and Coral Reefs course. Invited lecture. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA. April 2017.
  8. Huffmyer AS. Corals in Hawaiʻi and a day in the life of a marine biologist. Invited lecture. Nānākuli High School, Nānākuli, Hawaiʻi, USA. September 2016.
  9. Huffmyer AS. Coral reef monitoring and ecological sampling methods. Summer Research Experience in Marine Biology Program. Lecture. Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi, USA. July 2015.

Poster Presentations

  1. Huffmyer AS and J Lemus. TA teaching styles impact student achievement in a research-based undergraduate science course. Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. January 2017.
  2. Huffmyer AS, H Putnam, RD Gates. Parental influence on patterns of growth and survivorship in juvenile Pocillopora damicornis corals exposed to thermal stress conditions. Western Society of Naturalists. Monterey Bay, California, USA. November 2016.
  3. Huffmyer AS and J Lemus. TA teaching styles impact student achievement in a research-based undergraduate science course. International Coral Reef Symposium. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA. June 2016.
  4. Huffmyer AS. Utilizing heterotrophy: Nutritional provisioning for juvenile corals in climate change. UHM Albert L. Tester Symposium. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA. April 2016.
  5. Meltvedt AM. Novel nematode characterization and phylogeny. Science Education Alliance Symposium. Janelia Farms, Virginia, USA. June 2011.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Teaching Assistantships and Course Instruction

  • 2023: Proposal writing and scientific messaging. University of Washington - Graduate student professional development course (FSH512). Invited lecture (22 students)
  • 2021: Coral symbiosis and application of ‘omics to answer emerging questions in marine invertebrate ecophysiology. University of Rhode Island - Marine Environmental Physiology course. Virtual invited lecture (20 students)
  • 2018: Early life history of reef building corals. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa - Corals and Coral Reefs course. Invited lecture. Honolulu, HI, USA (30 students)
  • 2017: You are what you eat: Coral nutrition. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa - Corals and Coral Reefs course. Invited lecture. Honolulu, HI, USA (25 students)
  • 2015: University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa Biology 265 Laboratory Teaching Assistant (50 students)
  • 2014: University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa Biology 265 Laboratory Teaching Assistant (50 students)

Field Course Instruction

  • 2015: HIMB Summer Research Experience in Marine Biology for Hawaiʻi High School Students: Full-time instructor and research mentor (20 students)
  • 2013: HIMB Summer Research Experience in Marine Biology for Hawaiʻi High School Students: Undergraduate instruction assistant (20 students)

Curriculum Development and Teacher Education

  • 2023: Maritime High School, University of Washington curriculum unit: Coastal Erosion
  • 2018: Stanford Ignite educator curriculum development co-host
  • 2016: Climate Science Teachers Institute co-coordinator, American Samoa & Marshall Islands
  • 2016: Connecting Culture and Coral Reefs: Hawaiʻi educator workshop coordinator
  • 2015: COSEE Island Earth Traditional Hawaiian Knowledge curriculum co-coordinator