Colin Munn is an Honorary Fellow of the Marine Institute, University of Plymouth since retiring as Associate Professor in Microbiology in 2017, where he was Head of Department of Biological Sciences and Admissions Tutor for Marine Biology courses. He obtained a BSc (Hons) degree in Microbiology from University College London and a PhD from the University of Birmingham. Colin has particular research interests in the interactions between symbiotic and pathogenic microbes and their hosts, and has studied microbial interactions with plants, invertebrates, fish, and humans. His most recent research took him into various aspects of marine microbiology, including the effects of environmental stress on microbial community structure in corals and other marine invertebrates. He is a strong advocate of a comparative approach and is passionate about using novel teaching approaches that enable students to understand new research discoveries, and developing undergraduate courses that raise awareness of the importance of microorganisms and viruses in marine biology and ocean processes. Colin also has extensive experience in postgraduate supervision and as an External Examiner; he has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Victoria, Canada; Central University of Venezuela; St George’s University, Grenada; and James Cook University/Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Taylor Priest obtained a BSc (Hons) degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography from the University of Plymouth before moving to the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Marine Microbiology in Bremen to undertake an MSc degree in Marine Microbiology and a PhD in Microbial Ecology. During the PhD, he combined field expeditions on land and at sea with high-throughput sequencing of DNA/RNA and bioinformatics to investigate the diversity and spatiotemporal dynamics of microbes inhabiting the Arctic Ocean. Following this, he moved to the Microbiome Research Lab at ETH Zurich as a Postdoctoral Researcher, studying the patterns and mechanisms of diversification in marine microorganisms. In 2024, he was awarded a NOMIS-ETH Postdoctoral Fellowship to unravel and characterise the diversity of mobile genetic elements on Earth and their contribution to shaping microbial ecology and evolution. During his time at MPI Bremen and ETH Zurich, Taylor has also contributed to teaching bioinformatics and genomics modules in MSc and BSc programs and supervision of MSc and PhD theses.
Cordelia Roberts obtained a BSc (Hons) degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography and an MRes in Marine Biology from the University of Plymouth. She completed a NERC-funded ARIES PhD, also at the University of Plymouth in collaboration with the Marine Biological Association UK (MBA) in Marine Microbial Oceanography and Biogeochemistry. She held her first post-doctoral position at the MBA, looking at how fungal ecology and marine biogeochemistry in coastal regions are intertwined. Cordelia is currently a Post Doctoral Research Associate at Imperial College London interested in microbial carbon turnover on organic particles in the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean. She supports Masters and PhD students working in marine Microbial Ecology, Oceanography, and
Biogeochemistry, and is a network co-lead for the NERC BIO-Carbon Early Career Ocean Professionals Network and is an Associate Editor for the Springer Nature journal
Ocean Ecosystems.
Justin Seymour is a Professor at the University of Technology Sydney, where he leads the Ocean Microbiology Group. His research applies genomic approaches and high-precision imaging techniques to examine the ecological interactions between marine microorganisms. He studies these processes across a continuum of spatial and temporal scales, from microscale interactions that are played out within individual drops of seawater, to regional
scales where mesoscale oceanographic features shape ocean microbiology. Within this context, he has a particular interest in the ecological relationships between phytoplankton and bacteria. In addition, Justin studies the impacts of climate change on marine water quality, whereby increasing water temperatures are stimulating outbreaks of pathogenic and toxic microorganisms, and more intense precipitation events are escalating coastal contamination.
Joanna Warwick-Dugdale has a strong background in Marine Microbiology, Virology, and Genomics. Her research focuses on understanding the role of marine microorganisms, algae, and viruses in global nutrient cycling and ecosystem functioning. After gaining a BSc (Hons) degree in Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth, she obtained a PhD in Marine Viral Metagenomics from the University of Exeter, with Plymouth Marine Laboratory. She has been involved in various projects, including the investigation of viral communities in coastal and open ocean marine environments and the development of long-read viral metagenomic methods. Jo is currently a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the Marine Biological Association UK, where she is conducting research funded by Horizon Europe investigating spatial and temporal patterns of marine biodiversity in the Western English Channel, and comparing eDNA-based datasets with ‘traditional’ observations such as microscopy.
Erik Zettler obtained a BS degree in Biology from Allegheny College, an MSc in Biology at the University of Waterloo, and a PhD in Microbial Ecology at the Autonomous University of Madrid. From 1985 to 1994, he was a member of the Biology Department at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution where he worked primarily on open ocean picoplankton using flow cytometry. From 1994 to 2016, he taught and did research at SEA Education Association as Science Coordinator, Professor, and Associate Dean. It was during research cruises with undergraduate students on the SEA vessels that he first became interested in plastic marine debris, and particularly the role of microbial biofilms on the fate of plastic in aquatic systems. Erik has participated in over 80 research cruises collecting oceanographic data and samples in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean. In 2017, he joined the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). Whenever possible, Erik escapes from the lab and his computer to work and teach in the field. Most recently he co-taught a seaweeds course aboard a research vessel and at the Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity (CARMABI) station on the island of Curaçao.
