Mónica Medina

Professor Mónica Medina of the School of Natural Sciences has won a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation for her work on Coral Health Genomics. The continuing grant will fund Medina’s work at $361,238 annually over five years. Medina studies coral-algal symbiosis – which is threatened by rising temperatures in the oceans and is vital for a healthy coral reef ecosystem – by examining gene expression in Caribbean corals and algae. The outcome of her research may contribute to conservation and management in these marine habitats.

Medina plans to cooperate with colleagues at the United States Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and the California Academy of Sciences for course development and teacher training, and with the UC Merced Office of Communications on student-produced environmental podcasts in English, Spanish and Hmong.