click here for a pdf version of my CV
Taylor Ely
3598 Alani Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822
(310) 245-0207
tely@hawaii.edu
Education
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
PhD Candidate in Zoology
Expected January 2027
current GPA: 4.0
Thesis: Connectivity of Marine Communities in the North Central Pacific, Advisor: Dr. Peter Marko
University of California, Los Angeles
Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology
Minor in Environmental Systems and Society
Graduated June 2018
GPA: 3.957
Senior Honors Thesis: Investigating Temporal Variation in a Marine Environment, Advisor: Dr. Paul Barber
Publications
Ely TD, Marko PB. In Review. Resolving emergent patterns in community genetics with environmental DNA.
Nichols PK, Sherwood AR, Fraiola KM, Ely TD, Hauk BB, Counsell CW, Porter ML, Marko PB. (2025). Detection of a Non-Indigenous Marine Macroalga (Acanthophora spicifera) With Environmental DNA From Surface Seawater. Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries 5, no. 6: e70135.
Fumo JT, Nichols PK, Ely T, Marko PB, Moran AL, Powell BS, Williams TM, Kosaki RK, Smith CM, Lopes Jr KH, Smith JE. (2025). A predictive framework for identifying source populations of non-native marine macroalgae: Chondria tumulosa in the Pacific Ocean. PeerJ, 13: p.e19610.
Ely TD1, Mukai GNM1, Kobayashi DR, Marko PB, Moran AL, Wren JLK. (2024). Characterizing key sensitivities for modeling long-distance dispersal in the North Central Pacific Ocean. NOAA tech report.
1 = co-first authors
Ely T, Patten N, Naisbett-Jones LC, Spencer ET, Willette DA, Marko PB. (2023). Molecular identification of critically endangered European eels (Anguilla anguilla) in U.S. retail outlets. PEERJ. 11: e14531.
Moran AL, Toh M-WA, Lobert GT, Ely T, Marko PB. (2021). Egg masses and larval development of the Antarctic cephalaspidean snail Waegelea antarctica (Cephalaspidea: Antarctophilinidae), with notes on egg masses of the related Antarctophiline alata. Journal of Molluscan Studies. 87(3).
Ely T, Barber PH, Man L, Gold Z. (2021). Short-lived detection of an introduced vertebrate eDNA signal in a nearshore rocky reef environment. PLOS ONE 16(6): e0245314.
Blanchette A1, Ely T1, Zeko A1, Sura S, Turba R, Fong P. (2019). Damselfish Stegastes nigricans increase algal growth within their territories on shallow coral reefs likely via enhanced nutrient supplies. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 513: 21-26
1 = co-first authors
Grants
2024 to 2026 - Jessie D. Kay Memorial Award in Zoology ($10,000)
What are the dispersal pathways for marine species to the Hawaiian Archipelago?
2023 to 2024 - Elizabeth Alison Kay Endowed Awards for students in Biology/Zoology at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa ($2500)
Dispersal patterns of marine organisms in the Hawaiian Archipelago
2020 to 2021 - The Charles H. And Margaret B. Edmondson Research Fund ($2000)
Community-wide genetic patterns revealed through eDNA
2019 to 2024 - NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program ($118,500)
Using eDNA to examine the impact of warming oceans on marine fish communities
Honor & Awards
2025 to 2026: UHM Zoology Graduate Program Achievement Scholarship ($1000)
2024 to 2025: Honolulu ARCS Scholar ($6,000)
2024 to 2025: Environmental DNA (eDNA) Conference Bursary ($1500)
2017 to 2018: Graduated Summa Cum Laude and Departmental Highest Honors from UCLA
2014 to 2018: Dean’s Honors List at UCLA
2017 to 2018: UCLA Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program award ($5000)
2017 to 2018: Whitcome Research Undergraduate Summer Fellowship at UCLA ($3000)
2015 to 2016: UCLA Promise Award Scholarship ($2000)
2013 to 2014: California State PTA Scholarship ($500)
Presentations
Apr 2025: “Population Genetics of Marine Species in Hawai‘i using eDNA”. Albert L. Tester Memorial Symposium. Honolulu, HI. Honorable mention, Best graduate student talk
Feb 2025: “Analysis of eDNA as a community genetics tool” 2nd Australian & New Zealand Environmental DNA (eDNA) Conference. Wellington, New Zealand.
Apr 2024: “eDNA: a promising tool for population genetics” Albert L. Tester Memorial Symposium. Honolulu, HI.
Apr 2022: “Testing eDNA as a fine-scale population genetics tool in marine ecosystems” Albert L. Tester Memorial Symposium. Honolulu, HI.
May 2017: “Territorial damselfish enhance nutrient supplies to algal turf in shallow coral reefs”. Marine Biology Quarter Symposium. Los Angeles, CA.
Posters
Dec 2025: “Marine Community Genetics: A Test in the Hawaiian Islands”. 8th Annual Meeting of the eDNA Society. Yamaguchi, Japan.
Aug 2018: “Monitoring Sea Star Wasting in Oregon’s Marine Reserves”. Oregon Sea Grant Final Symposium. Newport, OR.
May 2018: “Investigating Temporal Variation of eDNA in a Marine Environment”. UCLA’s Annual Biology Research Symposium. Los Angeles, CA. 3rd place Undergraduate Poster
Experience
Graduate Research Assistant
August 2019 to current
Marko Lab, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
- Collected and processed ~2,000 eDNA samples for biogeography and population genetics analyses
- Wrote a population genetics pipeline in R for eDNA samples
- Simulated larval dispersal into the Hawaiian Archipelago using python and OceanParcels
- Ran population genomic analyses on urchin tissue samples
- Used restriction enzymes to identify illegal eel species in markets
Research Technician
February to June 2019
Carlon Lab, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine
- Processed parrotfish gut samples for MiSeq and qPCR
- Created a protocol for laboratory and bioinformatics analysis designed for undergraduate students
- Managed lab upkeep including ordering supplies
Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholar
June to August 2018
Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Marine Resources Program, Newport, OR
- Monitored sea star wasting syndrome (SSWS)
- Wrote a report about temporal changes in SSWS and biodiversity patterns
- Expanded the monitoring program through successful collaborations
- Led a team of 3-7 staff and volunteers during intertidal field sampling
Undergraduate Research Assistant
October 2015 to June 2018
Barber Lab, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
- Collected, processed, and analyzed eDNA samples
- Extracted seagrass DNA for genomic analyzes
Invertebrate Zoology Intern
June to August 2017
Meyer Lab, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C
- Extracted tissue samples from ARMS across Indonesia
- Prepped samples for Sanger sequencing
- Assembled and analyzed sequence chromatograms using Geneious
Public Programs Intern
May 2015 to May 2016
Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, Santa Monica, CA
- Organized monthly scientific talks
- Created advertisements, social media posts, and displays using Canva
- Helped found the seabirds program
Teaching
April 2025 to current: Undergraduate Mentoring ,University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Advising a student working with eDNA data in R to investigate life history’s influence on detections
July 2024: Environmental DNA team leader, R/V Thompson
Larvae Across the Pacific Research Cruise
Trained and supervised a team of undergraduates and post-baccs to process environmental DNA samples
August 2019 to May 2020: Teaching Assistant, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Classes: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lab, Invertebrate Biology
Service
Professional
2023 to 2026: Reviewer for manuscripts submitted to Marine Ecology Progress Series, Molecular Ecology Resources, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems\
2025 to 2026: Student Social Chair, School of Life Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Co-led weekly pau hana events to foster community and informal engagement among graduate students and faculty
October 2024: Navigating the Publishing Landscape Workshop, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Provided a graduate student perspective on academic publishing
Community Service
2024 to 2026: Various workdays on Oʻahu
Paepae o Heʻeia ; Ka Popo Loʻi o Kānewai; Waialeʻe Lake Pono; 808 cleanups; Kaiāulu ʻO Kahaluʻu,…
September 2024 and November 2025: International Save the Vaquita Day, Waikīkī Aquarium
Lead volunteer, ran an educational booth
2020 to 2023: Various STEM outreach for kids
Kupu Hawaiʻi STEM outreach; Career Day at Dreamhouse HS; The Science of the Seuss Library Event
2020 to 2021: Leeward Science and Engineering Fair
Volunteer judge for environmental science and biological sciences categories
2013 to 2014: Environmental Message of the Month, Palos Verdes Intermediate School
Founded and ran this program to educate students and parents Link
News & Media
UH News Article from September 2024 Link
Selected Graduate Courses Taken
An Introduction to place-based methodologies in Hawaiʻi; People and the Sea; Population Genetics; Systematics and Phylogenetics; Biological and Physical Oceanography; Advanced Statistics in R
Certifications
- Scientific Diving certified since 2016: 112 scientific dives
- CPR, AED, and First Aid certified