Dr. Sarah Smith (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor of Biological Oceanography
Ph.D., Marine Biology Scripps Institution of Oceanography, CA (2014)
M.S., Marine Science Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, CA (2009)
B.S. Biology Santa Clara University, Santa Clara CA (2003)
Email: sarah.r.smith@sjsu.edu
Dominic Kyle Ypil (he/him/his)
SJSU M.S. Graduate Student - Joined Fall 2023
Dominic Kyle, a 2020 graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, has over two years of industry experience in bioremediation and biogeochemistry. He discovered his passion for biological oceanography through this experience, which led him to join Dr. Sarah Smith's lab. Dominic's research interests focus on studying the effects of anthropogenic pressures on marine environments, particularly in relation to phytoplankton diversity, eDNA, and biogeochemistry. He looks forward to contributing novel ideas to the field of oceanography through his work in the lab.
Elise Tysdal (she/her/hers)
SJSU M.S. Graduate Student - Joined Fall 2024
Elise obtained a B.S. in Zoology with a minor in Marine Biology from Oregon State University in 2023. Her undergraduate research focused on the behavioral mechanisms of space competition in intertidal sea anemones, but she became fascinated by the cellular and molecular underpinnings of the interactions over their ecological outcomes, revealing an interest in pursuing molecular biology. In graduate school, Elise studies the taxonomy and nitrogen biology of the cosmopolitan diatom genus Rhizosolenia, and her research interests include evolution, genetics, cell biology, microbial ecology, and symbiosis.
Larkin Loewenherz (she/her/hers)
SJSU M.S. Graduate Student - Joined Fall 2025
Larkin is a 2015 graduate of Oregon State University’s Biology department with an emphasis in marine biology and a minor in chemistry. Her undergraduate thesis involved an analysis of prey characterization and feeding activity of juvenile flatfish off the coast of Oregon. After a detour into the biomedical industry, Larkin is excited to be back in the marine science world as a master’s student. Her research focuses on domoic acid production and gene expression in Pseudo-nitzschia, a diatom genus responsible for many of the harmful algal blooms (HABs) that occur off the central California coast. Her research interests include genomics, nutrient limitation, and HAB detection and monitoring.
Ronja Steinbach (she/her/hers)
SJSU M.S. Graduate Student - Joined Fall 2025
Ronja was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She graduated with a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) in December 2022, where she conducted research on marine fungi. After working for the UHM Dive Safety Office, Oceanit, and beginning a master’s program in Vienna, she changed course and moved to Guam to work for the National Park Service through AmeriCorps. There, she focused on coral restoration, invasive species management, and reef flat research. She is now excited to join the Biological Oceanography Lab, where she will study microbial remediation of heavy metals in Elkhorn Slough following the battery facility fire. In her free time, Ronja enjoys running, backpacking, climbing, and scuba diving.
Aidan Young (he/him/his)
SJSU M.S. Graduate Student - Joined Fall 2025
Aidan Young is a graduate student at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories pursuing an M.S. in marine science under Dr. Sarah Smith. He earned his B.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of Victoria, where he developed an interest in microbial ecology, and the ecological roles of marine algae, including coralline algae and diatoms. During his undergrad, Aidan gained experience in field and laboratory research, including a project investigating spore release and adhesion in coralline algae, which led to a manuscript submission to the European Journal of Phycology.
At MLML, Aidan is exploring gene expression in diatoms’ nitrate assimilation pathways to better understand nutrient dynamics in marine ecosystems. Outside of research, he enjoys SCUBA diving, and reading sci-fi/fantasy
Alon Blachinsky (he/him/his)
Visiting Scholar - Ph.D. Student at University of Haifa, Israel
Alon was born and raised in Israel. He earned his B.S. in Marine Biology from the Ruppin Academic Center in 2020 and completed his M.Sc. in 2024 at the University of Haifa, where he conducted seasonal research on the marine nitrogen cycle, including urea uptake compared to dissolved inorganic nitrogen uptake. He also worked at the Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, where he supported long-term monitoring of seasonal dynamics in the ultra-oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS). Alon is part of the GEOMAR-led EMS-Fore program, contributing to multidisciplinary research efforts in the EMS including the METEOR cruise,where he carried out bioassay experiments examining nitrogen and phosphorus limitation using different nitrogen compounds in the EMS.
Alon is now a Ph.D. student at the University of Haifa and is excited to join the Biological Oceanography Lab. His research focuses on microbial responses to shifts in nitrogen sources in Monterey Bay, as well as primary productivity and nitrogen uptake of specific taxa in the EMS.
In his free time, Alon enjoys surfing, backpacking, sailing, and chess.
Lab Alumni
Hannah McGrath (she/her/hers)
SJSU M.S. Graduate Student - (Fall 2022 - Summer 2025)
Hannah graduated with a BA in environmental science with a minor in managerial economics from Colby College in Waterville, ME in 2022. Junior year she had the opportunity to learn from and work alongside Dr. Peter Countway at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences which sparked her passion for phytoplankton ecology, specifically harmful algae blooms (HABs). She continued her passion for HABs during the summer of 2021 in Florida working at the Red Tide Institute under Dr. Cindy Heil. Hannah’s main research interests include marine phytoplankton composition, harmful algal bloom abundance, duration, timing and detection, and science communication.
Hannah is primarily advised by Holly Bowers in the Environmental Biotechnology lab at MLML
Hannah May (she/her/hers)
CSUMB REU 2023 Undergraduate Intern
Hannah joined the lab through the Monterey Bay REU Program in Summer 2023 when she was an undergraduate student at Clemson University in Clemson, SC working towards her BS in Biological Sciences with a minor in genetics. She worked on a project using molecular biomarkers in diatoms to indicate nitrogen status in the field. She was thrilled to work in the lab over summer and gained experience with designing primers, running PCR and qPCR, and various other techniques.