Alina Corcoran

Talk title: From Competition to Cooperation: The Complex Dynamics of Algal-Bacterial Partnerships

Dr. Alina Corcoran (she/her), an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at New Mexico State University (Las Cruces, NM), earned a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California Los Angeles, a M.S in Marine Science from the University of Alabama, and a B.A. in Biology with a Specialization in Marine Science from Boston University. Throughout her career, Corcoran has asked and addressed questions with clear applications to ecosystem management and sustainability. Her interests include community dynamics, predator-prey interactions, algal-bacterial associations, harmful algal blooms, and algal cultivation management. She has conducted research in estuarine and coastal systems in the Gulf of Mexico and Southern California Bight, as well as in artificial cultivation systems ranging in scale from 300L to 30,000L. Corcoran currently oversees a DOE-funded project aimed at understanding the role of virulence factors in antagonistic bacteria.