Principal Investigator
Nicole Hynson
Professor
[Click for my CV] [Google Scholar]
email: nhynson [at] hawaii [dot] edu
I received my Ph.D in 2010 from the University of California Berkeley where I worked in the Bruns Lab. After which I was a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Prof. Kathleen Treseder at the University of California Irvine.
I study the ecology of plant and fungal communities. I employ a multifaceted approach to my research by using tools from molecular biology and physiology in a range of settings from microcosms to field sites across continents. I am enthusiastic about teaching and mentoring and have a passion for the natural world, especially fungi.
I am originally from Maui, but mostly grew up on the continent. My family has a long history on the Islands and I consider Hawaiʻi home. Some activities that I enjoy are hiking, mushroom hunting, and cooking.
Lab Manager & Postdocs
Danyel Yogi
Lab Manager
email: danyelk [at] hawaii [dot] edu
Hello! I’m Danyel, I’m born and raised on the windward side of O‘ahu and I’m the lab manager for both the Hynson and Amend lab. I started working as an undergraduate assistant in the lab way back in 2018, since then I’ve received my B.S in Microbiology and become the lab manager. I have assisted with a wide range of projects studying plant-fungal interactions here in the Hynson lab and completed an NSF REU under Dr. Teresa Pawlowska studying the bacterial endosymbionts of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at Cornell University.
While fungi have a very special place in my heart, environmental microbiology as a whole is where my passion lies. My goal is to dedicate my career towards learning all I can about microbes and how they interact with the environment around them in order to aid conservation efforts here in Hawai‘i. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending time with my family, volunteering at lo‘i and fishponds, and going to coffee shops.
Dr. Nicola Kriefall
Postdoc
email: nicolagk [at] hawaii [dot] edu
Twitter link: twitter.com/reef_building
Google scholar link: https://scholar.google.com
I earned my PhD from the Davies Lab at Boston University, where I investigated how microorganisms within coral hosts are structured by reef environments, through lab-based tank experiments in Boston and field sampling in the Florida Keys. Now, I’m dipping my toe into terrestrial study systems under the guidance of Drs. Hynson and Medeiros. Specifically, I’ll be exploring aquatic pools hosted by bromeliad plants to better understand the roles of microorganisms in food webs. Having spent most of my life in the state and city of New York, and then Boston, I am learning how to spend time in consistent sun and warmth on the island of O’ahu. It was a hobby of mine to try to keep tropical houseplants alive in Boston, which seems easier here so I’ll have to find new hobbies. Snorkeling and beach reading are the top contenders.
Graduate Students
Allie Hall
PhD Student
email: alliej [at] hawaii [dot] edu
Aloha! Allie here, and I meet fungi in the wilderness. I consider myself nomadic by nature and have called many places on this beautiful planet home. In 2019, I received my B.S. from the University of Colorado in Biology, emphasis in Biochemistry. I worked under Dr. Meghan Lybecker as an undergrad and post-bacc researcher investigating mechanisms of sRNA and RNA-chaperone regulations in bacterial pathogens. Later, I was awarded an ORISE Fellowship to continue research at the CDC. I joined Dr. Hynson’s Lab Fall of 2022 to pursue my PhD in Botany focusing in fungal, microbial, and molecular ecology. Research interests include plant and fungi microbiomes, distance-decay relationships of microbiomes, fungi-plant co-invasions, fungal symbiosis, and evolution of microbes influenced by major disturbances. Outside of academia you could say I’m an amateur poet, backcountry backpacker, free-diver, surfer, and rock climber.
Michael A.P. Fernandez
PhD Student
email: mapfern [at] hawaii [dot] edu
Aloha yan håfa adai, I’m Michael! I was born and raised on the island of Guam, all the way on the western side of the Pacific. I earned my B.S. in Integrative Biology at the University of Guam, where I studied the mycorrhizal associations of Guam’s native, epiphytic orchids and conducted genetic research on the island’s endangered plant species under Drs. Marutani and McConnell. During my undergrad, I also had several, amazing opportunities to join research projects in conservation biology, invasion ecology, and next-generation DNA sequencing in the US and Japan. This Fall 2024, I’ll be joining Dr. Hynson’s Lab to pursue my PhD in Botany and explore my passion for studying the ecology and evolution of mycorrhiza here in the Pacific islands. When I’m not doing research, you can find me spending time with family, gardening at home, or taking photos of plants or food. I’m excited to be making the move to Oahu and hope to call it my home away from home!
Undergraduate Students
Mallory Maloney
Undergraduate Researcher [my CV]
email: mm300[at] hawaii [dot] edu
Aloha! I am an undergraduate majoring in Marine Biology and minoring in Japanese and Music. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and moved to O’ahu four years ago. I’m interested in marine mammal conservation and ecology but love learning from others to expand my knowledge. I studied in Japan in the summer of 2022 and hope to return to facilitate language exchange in the science field. When I have time I like to paddleboard, go to the beach, teach percussion music lessons, and perform.
Renee Stott
GES Undergraduate Researcher
email: rstott [at] hawaii [dot] edu
John-Anthony Tagura
Earth Science Undergraduate Researcher
email: taguraj [at] hawaii [dot] edu