Interdisciplinary Programs

Undergraduate Programs

Please visit the Interdisciplinary Studies Program  for more information.

Graduate Programs

Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program

John A Burns School of Medicine
BSB 222
651 Ilalo Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Tel: (808) 692-1514
Web: cmb.jabsom.hawaii.edu/graduate-program/index.html
Application and admission details can be found on the graduate program website.

Graduate Faculty

*F. P. Bellinger, PhD—trace elements in brain function
*M. J. Berry, PhD—selenoprotein synthesis
*W. Boisvert, PhD—immunologic and infl ammatory aspects of cardiovascular medicine
*B. Bowen, PhD—evolutionary genetics
*X. Chen, PhD—molecular genetics and signaling pathways during liver cancer growth to develop new therapies
*Y. Deng, PhD—bioinformatics, biomedical informatics, computational biology, cancer
*C. Farrar, PhD—light microscopy and flow cytometry in cancer and cell biology
*P. Fei, PhD—tumor suppressors function and cancer susceptibility syndromes
*B. Fogelgren, PhD—renal physiology, development, and disease
*M. Gerschenson, PhD—mitochondrial medicine
*D. S. Haymer, PhD—human forensics and genetic variation in populations
*B. Hernandez, PhD—role of infectious agents and the host microbiome in the development and progression of cancer
*P. Hoffmann, PhD—selenoproteins in inflammation, immunity and cancer
*N. G. James, PhD—neurodegeneration, protein interactions
*D. M. Jameson, PhD—energetics and dynamics of protein interactions;
*L. Le Marchand, MD, PhD—cancer epidemiology, breast cancer risk
*J. Lee, PhD—translational cancer research, drug resistance, tumor microenvironment, targeted therapy
*A. Lehrer, PhD—filoviruses, vaccine development
*O. Le Saux, PhD—genetic disorders, elastin, PXE, gene mapping
*L. Loo, PhD—cancer epidemiology, racial/ethnic disparities in cancer risk and mortality
*S. Lozanoff, PhD—developmental biology and craniofacial development
*Y. Marikawa, PhD—molecular control of the body plan of vertebrate embryos
*T. Matsui, PhD—cell signaling in cardiomyocyte cell survival
*A. Maunakea, PhD—epigenetics in diseases, autism and cardiometabolic disorders
*S. Moisyadi, PhD—mammalian transgenesis and gene therapy
*V. R. Nerukar, PhD—viral pathogens, marine virology, molecular epidemiology
*R. Nichols, PhD—neurobiology, pharmacology and physiology
*J. Owens, PhD—safety and efficiency of gene editing tools
*J. Paneʻe, PhD—biomedical research ethics and health consequences of marijuana use
*J. Park, PhD—cancer biology, neutrophil function
*M. Pitts, PhD—selenoproteins in metabolism and neurodevelopment
*N. Polgar, PhD—exocyst activity on Glut4 trafficking in metabolic tissues
*G. Presting, PhD—bioinformatics
*K. Schunke, PhD—Epigenetics of hypoxia, sleep apnea, diabetic autonomic dysfunction
*A. Seale—comparative endocrinology, neurobiology
*L. Seale, PhD—comparative endocrinology, metabolic syndrome, obesity
*B. Shimada, PhD-Cardiometabolic diseases, nutrition, and cellular and molecular biology
*A. J. Stokes, PhD—ION channel proteins in cardiometabolic diseases
*R. Shohet, MD—cardiovascular research, hypoxia and gene therapy
*M. Tallquist, PhD—heart and lung development and disease, fibrosis
*C. Todorovic, PhD—neurobiology of learning and memory
*D. Torres, PhD- Selenium, Energy Metabolism, Neurophysiology, Neurodegeneration
*N. Ueno, PhD—innovative therapy development for aggressive breast cancer, cancer tumor microenvironment
*J. Urschitz, PhD—fetal growth disturbances, prenatal biology, in-vivo gene modulation
*S. Verma, PhD—inflammatory pathways contributing to the neuropathogenesis related to flaviviruses
*M. Wang, PhD—translational breast cancer research, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy
*M. Ward, PhD—spermatogenesis, sex chromosomes, male infertility
*W. S. Ward, PhD—tertiary structure of DNA, nuclear structure, and genetic instability
*Y. Yamazaki, PhD—sex differentiation of fetal cells, IVF, ICSI
*A. Yanagihara, PhD—biochemistry of neuroactive compounds in cnadarians
*H. Yang, MD, PhD—mesothelioma detection, prevention, therapy
*J. Yew—neurobiology of chemical communications/pheromones
*Y. Zhang, PhD—heart development, growth, diseases, stem cells, regeneration, functional multiomics, electrophysiology

The Academic Program

The Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences provides an integrated course of study for students seeking a PhD or MS degree in biomedical-related research. The CMB graduate program includes faculty from multiple colleges and research institutes. Training emphasis is on laboratory skills, original research, and critical thinking.

The CMB program provides support with research and teaching assistantships for qualified applicants. The program prepares students for careers in academia, biotechnology, research institutes, and other biomedical endeavors. Master’s students fall into two categories, depending on preparation of a thesis (Plan A) or a capstone project (Plan B).

Application Requirements

Applicants are expected to have at least a bachelor’s degree emphasizing biological or physical sciences with courses in calculus, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and cellular and molecular biology. Applicants with MD degrees are welcome. Three letters of recommendation from former instructors or research supervisors, a personal statement, a curriculum vitae, and transcripts from previous universities or colleges attended must be submitted. While not required, results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test can also be submitted with the application.

Most applicants whose native language is not English are required to take an English Language Proficiency test.  TOEFL iBT (including TOEFL iBT Home Edition),TOEFL Essentials, IELTS Academic (including IELTS Online), Duolingo English Test, and select Cambridge English Scale tests (C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency) are all currently accepted.

Communication and Information Sciences

2550 McCarthy Mall
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-5813
Fax: (808) 956-5835
Email: cis-chair@lists.hawaii.edu
Web: www.hawaii.edu/cis

Graduate Faculty

*D. D. Suthers, PhD (Chair)—human-computer interaction; social informatics; technology-enhanced learning
N. Asato, PhD—Japanese/Japanese American print cultures; Asian librarianship; censorship
A. E. Auman, PhD—media ethics, news literacy, editing, journalism, and cultural identity
*K. S. Aune, PhD—relational management, emotion
*K. Baek, PhD—computer vision, neural computation, machine learning
*E. S. Biagioni, PhD—networking protocol design
*K. A. Binsted, PhD—artificial intelligence, software design for mobile devices, human-computer interaction, human space exploration
*W. G. Buente, PhD—information and communication technologies
*T. X. Bui, PhD—organizational behavior, international management, electronic commerce, information policy, information systems
*P. Buskirk, MFA- transmedia storytelling, digital convergence, indigenous representation
*H. Casanova, PhD—high performance computing, distributed systems
*H. M. Chen, PhD—e-business, service engineering, business-IT alignment, electronic customer relationship management, multimedia database systems, software engineering, enterprise architecture
*W. G. Chismar, PhD—information technology, telecommunications, medical informatics
*M. E. Crosby, PhD—human-computer interaction, cognitive science, interface design for searching
*E. J. Davidson, PhD—social cognitive aspects of information systems development methods
*J. Gasiorek, PhD—social cognition, intergroup and intergenerational communication, research methods
*R. S. Gazan, PhD—social aspects of information technology
*J. S. Gorbach, PhD— journalism history, media history, literary journalism, film history, cultural history, democratic theory, mass society theory, propaganda theory, Holocaust, Jewish American studies, postcolonialism, war correspondents
*A. S. E. Hubbard, PhD—nonverbal communication, conflict and relational management, deception
*P. M. Johnson, PhD—software engineering, high-tech entrepreneurship
*F. N. Kazman, PhD—software architecture design and analysis, software visualization, socio-technical congruence, technical debt, software/IT economics
*J. Y. Kim, PhD—strategic communication, campaign outcomes, media effects
*M-S. Kim, PhD—intercultural communication, persuasion and social influence
*H. K. Kramer, PhD—intercultural communications
*H-R. Lee, PhD—health and political communication, perusasion and social influence
*J. Leigh, PhD—big data visualization, virtual reality, high performance networking, human augmentics, video game design
*D. Li, PhD—privacy and security of internet of things, smart grids, software-defined networks
*R. Minas, PhD—information systems, virtual teams/collaboration
*C. D. Moore, PhD—American politics and government, history of political mobilization
*R. L. Neo, PhD—persuasive effects of social media cues on political outcomes; cross-national comparative digital media influence on political expression
*M-B. Ogawa, PhD—information ethics, student academic success, school librarian leadership
*B. Oppegaard, PhD—medium studies, accessibility, ubiquitous computing, mobile place-based media
*D. Pavlovic, PhD—security, theoretical computer science and software engineering, quantum computation
*A. Peruma, PhD—software quality, software maintenance and evolution, program comprehension, identifier naming, mobile application quality
*G. Poisson, PhD—cognitive informatics, bioinformatics, machine learning
*D. N. Port, PhD—software economics, management information systems, software engineering
*S. Robertson, PhD—human-computer interaction, digital government and digital democracy
*P. Sadowski, PhD—machine learning, data science, artificial intelligence, information theory and data compression
*P-M. Seidel, DrEng habil-formal methods, computer arithmetic, computer architecture, algorithms
*N. Sitchinava, PhD—algorithms and data structures, parallel and distributed computation, I/O- and cache-efficient computation
*S. Still, PhD—bioinformatics/theoretical biology, information theory, machine learning
*E. Taniguchi-Dorios, PhD—interpersonal health communication, family communication, cross-cultural communication
*P. Y. Washington, PhD—Data science methods and human-centered artificial intelligence for digital health and wellbeing
*A. Wertheimer, PhD—information science, library history, Japanese-American print culture
*J. S. Winter, PhD—big data governance (privacy, security), artificial intelligence ethics, information policy and planning
*B. Xiao, PhD—human-computer interaction, digital platforms, dark side of digitization, and health information systems

Cooperating Graduate Faculty

*D. L. Alden, PhD—marketing communications
*V. Fan, PhD—health economics, health systems and policy, health financing
*C. P. Ho, PhD—instructional technology
*M. S. Johansen, PhD—nonprofit management, education and health policy
*R.C. Rath, PhD—sound studies, new media, Atlantic world

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

S. Aurigemma, PhD—cybersecurity, information technology management
K. Bergstrom, PhD—digital cultures, game studies, feminist methods
*D. Streveler, PhD—medical informatics, international public health, issues in electronic medical record and telemedicine
*R. Taylor, PhD—telecommunication/information policy, law

The Academic Program

The Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Communication and Information Sciences (CIS) offers a PhD degree integrating and drawing faculty from the fields of communication, computer science, library and information science, and management information systems. Because of the broad knowledge base required to support this interdisciplinary approach, the program also draws on such fields as political science, economics, engineering, operations research, and behavioral sciences.

Recipients of the PhD will undertake careers in colleges and universities, industry, government, and private organizations. Complete details on this program are outlined on the website, www.hawaii.edu/cis/.

Sustainable Fisheries

Sustainable Fisheries Graduate Program
2525 Correa Road, HIG 133
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-2910
Email: uhmfish@hawaii.edu
Web: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fisheries/

Graduate Faculty

*J. Drazen, PhD (Graduate Chair)—Oceanography 
*R. Dacks, PhD—NREM
*D. Dimarchopoulou, PhD—Life Sciences
*M. J. Donahue, PhD—HIMB
*M. Donovan, PhD—HIMB
*E. Franklin, PhD—HIMB
*M. Hixon, PhD—Life Sciences
*K. Holland, PhD—HIMB
*J. Lynham, PhD—Economics
A. Mawyer, PhD—CPIS
*K. Morishige, PhD—HWST
*E. Nalley, PhD—Sea Grant
*K. Oleson, PhD—NREM
*N. Puniwai, PhD—HWST
*J. Suca, PhD—Oceanography
*R. Vave, PhD—CPIS
*X. Wu, PhD—NREM

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

T. Grabowski, PhD—UH Hilo
L. Tuttle Raz, PhD—UH Hilo

The Academic Program

The Sustainable Fisheries Graduate Program currently offers masters and doctoral degrees in Sustainable Fisheries. This is a joint, transdisciplinary program in the School of Ocean, Earth Sciences and Technology (SOEST), College of Natural Sciences (CNS), College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR), Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge (HSHK), College of Social Sciences (CSS), and the College of Arts, Languages and Letters (CALL).

The mission of the Sustainable Fisheries graduate program is to foster ecosystem-based fisheries management and stewardship across the Pacific. This transdisciplinary program is built upon a foundation of experiential coursework that provides students with a baseline of quantitative, socio-cultural, and practical skills. Integrating Indigenous knowledge systems in a Pacific-rooted academic approach, this program’s unique emphasis on Oceania prepares students to successfully transition to fisheries management in Hawaiʻi and across the tropical Pacific.

This graduate program will train the next generation of fisheries scientists and marine resource managers in the U.S. Pacific region handling some of the U.S.’s most economically and culturally valuable fisheries. By creating a nexus of tropical fisheries study, the fisheries faculty and graduate program will promote collaborative efforts between UH, local resource managers, and experts from other nations around the Pacific rim to achieve sustainable solutions for island-scale to multinational fisheries.

This program takes advantage of the 20+ faculty members whose research interests span the study of fish biology and fisheries ecology, stock assessment and population dynamics, community-based fisheries management, ecosystem function, fisheries economics, ocean governance and marine resources, biocultural conservation, and fisheries management and policy.We also partner with state and federal agencies such as the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center for NOAA, the Hawaiʻi Division of Land and Natural Resources, USGS, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to contribute to the teaching program by serving on graduate committees, participating in lecture and laboratory courses, and training graduate students directly.

Admissions Requirements

Students admitted to the Sustainable Fisheries graduate program are expected to come from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds in subjects such as: fisheries science, biology, ecology, oceanography, marine science, natural resource management, anthropology, geography, Hawaiian studies, Pacific Island studies, sociology, agricultural and resource economics, political science, urban and regional planning, math, statistics, or other relevant natural or social sciences.

All applicants will be expected to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and are recommended to have a strong background in at least one of the following as they relate to the fisheries profession: natural sciences, social sciences, and/or math, but they will vary in their undergraduate training. Students are encouraged to prepare themselves academically before applying to the program; but given the transdisciplinary nature of the program, incoming students will not necessarily be expected to have a particular degree prior to entering the program.

Application Requirements

Students apply and are admitted to either the MS or PhD program. Please see https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fisheries/how-to-apply/ for additional program application requirements.

Graduate Interdisciplinary Specializations

Graduate specializations offer graduate students the opportunity to complete a course of study utilizing courses and faculty from several different fields. Participants must apply for admission and be admitted to a ‘regular’ graduate program.

Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology

Edmondson 216
2538 McCarthy Mall
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-6476
Fax: (808) 956-9812
Email: eecb@hawaii.edu
Web: www.hawaii.edu/eecb/

Graduate Faculty

*R. Thomson, PhD (Chair)—evolutionary biology, systematics, and conservation
*A. Amend, PhD—ecology and biogeography of biotrophic fungal communities
*L. Arita-Tsutsumi, PhD—behavioral ecology of insects
*C. Bae, PhD—paleoanthropology
*K. E. Barton, PhD—evolutionary ecology
*B. Bowen, PhD—phylogeography, evolution and conservation, genetics of marine vertebrates
*Q. Chen, PhD—field observations, GIS, remote sensing and ecological modeling for addressing key environmental challenges
*R. Chong, PhD—evolutionary biology, insect-microbial symbioses
*K. S. Cole, PhD—evolution of sexual patterns, behavioral ecology
*R. H. Cowie, PhD—evolutionary biology and conservation of land and freshwater snails
*C. C. Daehler, PhD—invasive plants, plant-insect interactions
*D. Drake, PhD—plant ecology, conservation biology, plant-animal interactions
*D. C. Duffy, PhD—conservation biology (basic and applied)
*M. Hixon, PhD—marine ecology and conservation biology
*N. Hynson, PhD—ecological factors that shape plant and fungal communities
*T. Idol, PhD—forest soils and nutrient cycling
*K. Y. Kaneshiro, PhD—sexual selection and biology of small populations
*M. Kantar, PhD—plant breeding, genetic/genomics, domestication, crop wild relatives
*M. Knope, PhD—Ecology, evolution and conservation biology of plants and animals; evolution of new ecological strategies
*C. M. Litton, PhD—ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry of forested systems
*J. McDevitt-Irwin, PhD—marine community ecology
*M. Medeiros, PhD—community ecology, infectious disease
*M. D. Merlin, PhD—biogeography, ethnobotany, Pacific natural history
*C. Mora, PhD—biogeography, threats to biodiversity, global conservation assessments and methods for macroecology
*C. W. Morden, PhD—molecular systematics and evolution of Hawaiian plants
*C. Muir, PhD—quantitative evolutionary physiology
*N. Nguyen PhD—soil microbial ecology, diversity and systematics
*R. Ostertag, PhD—community structure and nutrient dynamics of tropical forests
*B. N. Popp, PhD—stable isotope biogeochemistry, primarily in marine systems
*M. L. Porter, PhD—molecular evolution, visual system evolution
*M. Price, PhD—conservation ecology and genetics
*T. Ranker, PhD (Emeritus)—origin and evolution of the flora of oceanic and other islands
*F. Reed, PhD—population genetics
*A. Rominger, PhD—evolutionary ecology, biodiversity
*D. Rubinoff, PhD—insect systematics, conservation biology, and the evolution of ecological traits
*A. R. Sherwood, PhD—evolution, systematics and population genetics of Hawaiian algae
*C. M. Smith, PhD—physiological ecology of marine macrophytes, marine ecology
*N. Steiner, PhD—ex situ conservation, seed physiology and storage, in vitro culture and cryopreservation
A. D. Taylor, PhD (Emeritus)—population and community ecology and environmental statistics
*T. Ticktin, PhD—ethnoecology and conservation biology
*R. Toonen, PhD—population biology and larval ecology of marine invertebrates
*T. Tricas, PhD—behavior and sensory biology of sharks, rays and reef fishes
*A. N. Wright, PhD—population, community, and behavioral ecology, and conservation of reptiles, amphibians, and mammals
*M. Wright, PhD—Insect biological control, insect conservation, invasive species management
*Z. Zahawi, PhD—tropical ecology with a particular focus in restoration ecology

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

*A. Allison, PhD—systematics and population biology
*C. Birkeland, PhD—coral reef ecology and management, marine community ecology
*S. Conant, PhD (Emerita)—conservation biology, life history and ecology of Hawaiian birds
*L. C. Crampton, PhD—ecology and conservation of birds and mammals
*N. L. Evenhuis, PhD—systematics and evolution of Diptera
*A. M. Friedlander, PhD—nearshore fisheries
*N. W. Yeung, PhD—phylogenetics and conservation of Hawaiian land snails

The Academic Program

The objectives of the interdisciplinary graduate specialization in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology (EECB) are to:

• Use the unique opportunities that Hawaiʻi offers to integrate tropical population biology and natural history studies with modern laboratory techniques;
• Provide the interdisciplinary, conceptual, and technical training that will allow our graduates to participate in academic and research programs in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology; and
• Foster scholarly training in research programs involving expertise in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology.

Modern theories of ecology, evolution, and conservation biology share a core of concepts and techniques that span classical academic disciplines. This common core, coupled with the emergence of powerful new technologies, invites  cross-disciplinary approaches that generate many of today’s most exciting scientific advances.

The EECB program provides opportunities for students at UH Mānoa to expand their knowledge and gain experience in this integrative discipline. Our interdisciplinary graduate program brings together faculty members and students from graduate programs in the departments of Anthropology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Geography and Environment, Marine Biology, Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Oceanography, Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, and School of Life Sciences-with all their skills and technologies-to provide the training students need to contribute effectively to this research area.

EECB is implemented as a “specialization” within existing graduate programs of the departments whose faculty participate in this program. This means that the primary duties and responsibilities of each EECB student are to satisfy the requirements of their own home academic department. The EECB specialization serves to allow students to expand beyond the traditional departmental boundaries in terms of formulating research questions, choosing thesis/dissertation committee members and taking academic courses. EECB graduate students can be enrolled in either the doctor of philosophy or master of science degree in their home department.

Students accepted to the EECB graduate specialization must already have been accepted into the graduate program of the various departments participating in the EECB program. Course work in statistics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, evolution, and ecology are considered most important for preparing students for graduate studies.

Details on the EECB program and application forms can be found at the EECB website www.hawaii.edu/eecb/.

Admission Procedures and Policy

Only students that have been accepted and are currently enrolled in a graduate program in one of the cooperating academic departments at UH Mānoa can be admitted. New students applying to UH Mānoa will not be considered until they are accepted and enrolled.

All applicants must submit (by email directly to the EECB Chair):

• Letter expressing your interest in EECB (up to 3 pages), including, at a minimum
  • information on past academic experience
  • goals for graduate study in general and graduate study in EECB in particular
  • what you feel you can contribute to EECB
  • what you expect to gain by participation in EECB
• Letter of support from your EECB faculty sponsor

Students enrolled at UH Mānoa may be admitted to EECB in either the fall or spring semester. Application deadlines are February 1 and October 15. Successful applicants are admitted the following semester.

Your original UH Mānoa application may be obtained directly by the EECB office from Graduate Division and does not need to be submitted with your application to EECB.

Admission Criteria

Details can be found on the EECB website: www.hawaii.edu/eecb/.

Marine Biology

Marine Biology Graduate Program
2525 Correa Road, HIG 131A
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-5651
Email: mbiograd@hawaii.edu
Web: manoa.hawaii.edu/marinebiograd/

Graduate Faculty

*R. J. Toonen, PhD (Director)—HIMB
*R. Alegado, PhD—Oceanography
*A. Amend, PhD—Life Sciences
*L. Bejder, PhD—HIMB
*M. Belcaid, PhD—ICS
*B. Bowen, PhD—HIMB
*J. H. R. Burns, PhD—Marine Science at UH Hilo
*C. Callan, PhD—Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center at UH Hilo
*K. Cole, PhD—Biology
*A. Culley, PhD—PBRC
*E. DeLong, PhD—Oceanography
*S. Donachie, PhD—Life Sciences
*M. J. Donahue, PhD—HIMB
*M. Donovan, PhD—HIMB
*J. Drazen, PhD—Oceanography
*C. Drury, PhD—HIMB
*K. Edwards, PhD—Oceanography
*E. Franklin, PhD—HIMB
*F. Girard, PhD—Oceanography
*E. Goetze, PhD—Oceanography
*M. Hixon, PhD—Life Sciences
*K. Holland, PhD—HIMB
*S. Honarvar, PhD—PCSU
*C. Hunter, PhD—Life Sciences
*J. Johansen, PhD—HIMB
*J. Lemus, PhD—HIMB
*P. Lenz, PhD—PBRC
*E. Madin, PhD—HIMB
*J. Madin, PhD—HIMB
*P. Marko, PhD—Life Sciences
*L. McManus, PhD—HIMB
*M. McManus, PhD—Oceanography
*C. Meyer, PhD—HIMB
*C. Nelson, PhD—Oceanography
*A. Pacini, PhD—HIMB
*A. Pack—Psychology & Life Sciences at UH Hilo
*B. Popp, PhD—Earth Sciences
*M. Porter, PhD—Life Sciences
*M. Rappe, PhD—HIMB
*R. Richmond, PhD—PBRC
*Y. Rii, PhD—HIMB
*M. Rivera, PhD—HIMB
*A. Sherwood, PhD—Life Sciences
*C. Smith, PhD—Life Sciences
*C. R. Smith, PhD—Oceanography
*G. Steward, PhD—Oceanography
*K. H. Tisthammer, PhD—PBRC
*T. C. Tricas, PhD—Life Sciences
*L. Watling, PhD—Life Sciences

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

*D. Amato, PhD
F. Carvalho, PhD
*K. Falinski, PhD
*A. M. Friedlander, PhD
*T. Grabowski, PhD
*M. Hagedorn, PhD
*R. L. Humphreys, Jr., MS
*M. J. Iacchei, PhD
*J. N. Kittinger, PhD
*D. R. Kobayashi, PhD
*R. K. Kosaki, PhD
*M. O. Lammers, PhD
*A. Moran, PhD
*M. Nadon, PhD
*T. A. Oliver, PhD
*K. A. Peyton, PhD
*D. A. Polhemus, PhD
*J. J. Polovina, PhD
*J. Roughgarden, PhD
*M. Royer, PhD
*A. Szabo, PhD
L. J. Tuttle Raz, PhD
*D. Wagner, PhD
*T. Work, PhD

The Academic Program

The Marine Biology Graduate Program at UH Mānoa offers masters and doctoral degrees in marine biology. The program is jointly sponsored by the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology and the College of Natural Sciences and takes advantage of more than 49 faculty members at the university whose research interests span the study of marine organisms, ecosystems, and biogeochemical processes, and how humans affect and manage these systems. It also offers research opportunities with affiliate faculty partners at state and federal agencies, such as NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, and with non-governmental organizations.

The faculty and students in this program have access to one of the largest coral reef habitats in the U.S., including the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the main Hawaiian Islands, and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. The program honors its unique location in the Hawaiian Archipelago by training students in a place-based approach to research with a focus on Hawaiʻi, encouraging students to understand their role as scientists in a broader context.

The goal of the program is to produce scientists who are experts in their research areas with a broad-based understanding of the biology, ecology, evolution, and life processes of marine organisms. This program also addresses the growing need, locally and globally, for technically trained scientists, managers, and policy makers who understand the processes governing tropical marine ecosystems and who are comfortable working with diverse communities of stakeholders. Effective management of marine resources is critical under mounting pressure for human exploitation and increasing stress from global climate change.

Admissions Requirements

Marine Biology is an inherently interdisciplinary field, and a range of disciplines may provide appropriate background for the degree. In addition to the requirements set by Graduate Division, we recommend:

• An undergraduate or master’s degree in Marine Biology, Biology, Marine Science, Biological, Oceanography, Environmental Science, Zoology, Microbiology, Botany, or related disciplines
• A strong undergraduate background in Biology, Math, Chemistry, Physics, including one year of biology, one year of chemistry, one semester of physics, one semester of calculus, and one semester of statistics
• Prior research experience

Application Requirements

Students apply and are admitted to either the MS or PhD program. Please see https://manoa.hawaii.edu/marinebiograd/apply/ for additional program application requirements.

Resource Management

Saunders Hall 107
2424 Maile Way
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-7381

Programs

• Cell and Molecular Biology, MS

• Cell and Molecular Biology, PhD

• Resource Management, Certificate

• Interdisciplinary Studies: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Specialization