Shayle Matsuda, Ph.D.
Research Biologist
Education
Ph.D., Marine Biology, University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
M.Sc., Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, San Francisco State University and the California Academy of Sciences
B.A., Environmental Studies and Women’s Studies, University of California Santa Cruz
Expertise
Microbial ecology, coral spawning, reef restoration, climate change
Led by a passion for conservation science, Shayle Matsuda studies how microorganisms shape coral reef and freshwater ecosystems under climate change. His research focuses on microbial diversity, ecology and physiology across individual, species and ecosystem scales, with the goal of improving the scale and effectiveness of conservation and restoration efforts in coral reefs and urban freshwater systems.
In coral reefs, Matsuda investigates coral symbioses, examining the complex relationships among corals, symbiotic algae, and bacteria. His work develops innovative approaches to enhance coral thermal tolerance and uncovers the microbial mechanisms underlying thermal resilience. Using physiological experiments and ‘omics tools, he studies the impacts of ocean warming on coral traits across Pacific and Caribbean reef ecosystems. He specializes in coral spawning and propagation and in pairing coral larvae with thermally tolerant microbes to improve survivorship.
In freshwater systems, Matsuda examines how urbanization affects microbial communities in the Chicago River, particularly in response to pollution, climate-driven weather shifts, and conservation interventions. Matsuda also is the lead instructor for Shedd’s ACCA Marine Ecology Field Course. An active science communicator, he advocates for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in STEM and is the co-founder of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology’s Outgroup.