- Iliana Baums, PhD
- Assistan Professor, Research
Pennsylvania State University
http://www.bio.psu.edu/people/faculty/baums/Index.htm
Dr. Baums is an internationally recognized expert on the molecular evolution and ecology of marine invertebrates. She develops and applies cutting-edge molecular tools to understand the influence of biogeography, population structure, and mating patterns on the survival and evolution of corals and other marine organisms. The degree to which coral reef systems are interconnected by larval exchange is one of today’s key issues in marine ecology and evolution. Baums’ research on the threatened Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, revealed among other things, that there are two distinct populations of this important reef-builder in the Caribbean. These findings have important implications for developing ex-situ and in-situ conservation strategies for Acropora palmata.
Prior to joining Penn State in August, 2006 as an assistant professor of biology, Baums was an assistant researcher at the University of Hawaii and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Miami. She earned her doctorate degree at the University of Miami in 2003 where she was awarded the Smith Prize in 2004 for the most original dissertation work at the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. Her bachelor’s degree in marine biology with minors in ecology and cell and molecular biology/genetics came from the University of Bremen in Germany in 2000.
Dr. Baums is serving as a collaborating investigator on the genetic aspects of performance of the transplanted corals and will be conducting the lab analyses to genotype all the transplants.