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Marina Villoch Diaz Maurino

Senior Biologist & Laboratory Manager

Coral Health & Disease Research Program

Today's Research for Tomorrow's Oceans
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Contact:

mvilloch@mote.org

Biography:

Marina is focused on molecular assays, genetic management, resiliency screening.

Marina Villoch joined Mote as an intern in 2019 with the Coral Health and Disease Program and has since been promoted to Coral technician in 2020, Laboratory Manager in 2022, Staff Biologist in 2023, and Senior Biologist in 2025. Her involvement in coral health, genetics, restoration and resiliency has resulted in completion of multiple projects, which will further benefit coral reef restoration within Mote. Furthermore, she regularly participates in outreach events and workshops, engages with visiting researchers, and trains interns in molecular-based techniques.

Education:

2019 B.S. Biochemistry & Biotechnology, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Current Publications

J. Grace Klinges, Zachary W. Craig, Marina Villoch Diaz-Mauriño, Dakotah E. Merck, Summer N. Brooks, Alicia A. Manfroy and Abigail S. Clark (2023). Common aquarium antiseptics do not cause long-term shifts in coral microbiota but may impact coral growth rates. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10. 10.3389/fmars.2023.1281691
Shikha Grover, Thao Pham, Anna Jones, Cristina Sinobas-Pereira, Marina Villoch Diaz Maurino, Evan C. Garrad, Nyasha J. Makoni, Antanisha Parks, Ryan J. Domalewski, Gabriel Riggio, Hannah An, Kunhua Chen, Michael R. Nichols (2023). A new class of monoclonal Aβ antibodies selectively target and trigger deposition of Aβ protofibrils. Journal of Neurochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.15817
Williams SD, Klinges JG, Zinman S, Clark AS, Bartels E, Villoch Diaz Maurino M, Muller EM (2022). Geographically driven differences in microbiomes of Acropora cervicornis originating from different regions of Florida’s Coral Reef. PeerJ, 10.0, e13574. http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13574

Additional Publications

Williams SD, Klinges JG, Zinman S, Clark AS, Bartels E, Villoch Diaz Maurino M, Muller EM (2022). Geographically driven differences in microbiomes of Acropora cervicornis originating from different regions of Florida’s Coral Reef. PeerJ 10:e13574