Lab Group
Dr. Margrethe (Gretta) Serres
Research Associate III
My main research interests are in microbial physiology, including the metabolic diversity and plasticity of prokaryotes and how these traits are shaped by environmental factors, community interactions, and evolutionary history. I have worked with pathway genome databases to curate and predict functions and metabolic pathways, analyses that span individual model organisms, groups of related bacteria, and complex natural microbial communities. Beyond my technical duties in the Huber Lab, I also serve as a faculty member at Cape Cod Community College and the Coordinator for the Community College Comprehensive Research Experience at WHOI (CC-CREW) program. In this role, I oversee daily activities for the community college students at WHOI, including in the Huber laboratory, providing research and mentorship support to the students.
Dr. Olivia Ahern
Postdoctoral Investigator (WHOI/MBL)
Olivia is a microbial ecologist interested in organism interactions and how they impact biogeochemical cycling, adaptation, and evolution. She joined the lab after receiving her PhD from the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School in Oceanography. During her PhD, she studied interactions between diatoms and bacteria using molecular techniques (i.e. metabarcoding, metagenomics, and genotyping) to look at host genetics and the microbiome in both field based and laboratory experiments. At WHOI, she is working with Julie and Joe Vallino at MBL investigating tropic cascades using stable isotope probing, genomics, and ecosystem modeling.
Sabrina Elkassas
MIT-WHOI JP Graduate Student in Chemical Oceanography
Sabrina Elkassas joined the lab after majoring in Earth and Environmental Science with a concentration in Geology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her undergraduate thesis used already isolated strains of chemosynthetic bacteria from deep-sea hydrothermal vents to investigate how these microbes can be used for bioremediation of the physical and chemical health hazards of asbestos. At WHOI, she is working on a NASA-funded project using deep-sea Earth microbes to understand the potential for life on Ocean Worlds of our solar system.
Dr. Sharon Grim
Research Associate III
Sharon uses computational tools to understand the genes and biogeochemistry of microbial communities. She works with several research groups to explore intriguing aquatic environments, such as deep-sea hydrothermal vents, meromictic ponds, and shallow coral reefs. Sharon’s other interests include running, reading, and exploring the many trails and parks on Cape Cod with her family.
Former Lab Members
Postdocs (Current Position)
- Dr. Bayleigh Benner: Assistant Professor, Johnson and Wales University
- Dr. Sarah Hu: Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University
- Dr. Elaine Luo: Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
- Dr. Ashley Bulseco: Assistant Professor, University of New Hampshire
- Dr. Amy Smith: Assistant Professor, Bard College at Simon's Rock
- Dr. Lauren Seyler: Assistant Professor, Stockton University
- Dr. Elizabeth Trembath-Reichert: Assistant Professor, Arizona State University
- Dr. Caroline Fortunato: Assistant Professor, Widener University
- Dr. Rika Anderson: Associate Professor, Carleton College
- Dr. Benjamin Tully: Co-Founder + CEO at Branchpoint Biosciences
- Dr. Julie Reveillaud: Research Scientist, INRA French National Institute for Agricultural Research
- Dr. Chris Algar: Associate Professor, Dalhousie University
- Dr. Nuria Fernandez Gonzalez: Assistant Professor, University Francisco de Vitoria, Spain
- Dr. Nancy Akerman: Senior Policy Advisor, US EPA
- Dr. Julie (Smith) Meyer: Assistant Professor, University of Florida
Graduate Students (Current Position)
- Dr. Emilie Skoog: Postdoctoral Scholar, Scripps Institute of Oceanography
- Dr. Angus Angermeyer: Research Scientist, State of Washington
- Dr. Alexander Y. Merkel, Researcher, Russian Academy of Sciences | RAS · Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology
Undergraduate Summer Students (Enrollment During Time in Our Lab)
- Teodora Zhivkova (Cape Cod Community College, CC-CREW Summer 2023, Guest Student 2024-2025)
- Michael Navarro (Holyoke Community College, CC-CREW Summer 2024)
- Rachel Lamoureux (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2023)
- Daniel Sibrian (Manchester Community College, Summer 2023)
- Gabriella Kearns (Quinsigamond Community College, Summer 2022)
- Juanita Villa Jaramillo (Community College of Rhode Island, Summer 2022)
- Molly Gibson (Bristol Community College, Summer 2021)
- Lan Thuy Nguyen (Bunker Hill Community College, Summer 2021)
- Morgan Michael (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2021)
- Josianne Joseph (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2021)
- Claire Andrade (Oregon State University, Summer 2021)
- Derrick Richardson (Hampton University, Summer 2021)
- Erica Herrara (University of Texas, El Paso, Summer 2019)
- Fernanda Munari (Mt Wachusett Community College, Summer 2019)
- Tony Mase (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2019)
- Sarah Travers (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2019)
- Marc Fontanez Ortiz (University of Puerto Rico, Summer 2019)
- Meagan Perry (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2018)
- Patrick Carter (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2018/19
- Ben McKenzie (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2018)
- Scott Buresh (Massasoit Community College, Summer 2018)
- Tom Rizzitano (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2017)
- Renan Vianna (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2017
- Emily Clark (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2017)
- Kyle Bryson (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2016)
- Joy Gomes (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2016)
- Thomas Scudder (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2016)
- Paula Pelayo (UCLA, Summer 2016)
- Petra Byl (University of Chicago, Summer 2016)
- Cierra Armstrong (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2015/16)
- Nick O’Sadcia (Cape Cod Community College, Summer 2015)
- Sarah Nalven (Colby College, Summer 2016)
- Charles Carpenter (Northwest Florida State College)
- Teresa Meza (Northwest Florida State College)
- Samantha Gourlie (Northwest Florida State College)
- Destinee Harder (Northwest Florida State College)