Dr. Eugenia (Genia) Naro-Maciel, Clinical Associate Professor and Chair of the Sustainability, Health, and the Environment Concentration in Global Liberal Studies, is a graduate of Yale University (B.S., Cum Laude, Distinction in Biology). She received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology from Columbia University, where she also earned a Certificate in Environmental Policy. Her research program focuses on genetic approaches for aquatic biodiversity and conservation. Population structure and history of threatened organisms such as sea turtles, with conservation and educational applications, represent her main interests. With the revolution in next-generation sequencing, she has expanded into environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis of genetic material collected from waters or soils, ranging from remote Pacific coral reefs to New York City oyster restoration sites. Genia is also a committed practitioner of evidence-based teaching and learning strategies in the classroom, and has co-authored numerous educational materials on protected areas and biodiversity conservation
Eugenia (Genia) Naro-Maciel
Clinical Associate Professor
Ph.D. – Columbia University
Conservation genetics and genomics, Conservation Biology, Urban Ecology, Education, Environmental Justice
2023–2024: NYU Arts and Science, Teaching Innovation Award, “Promoting Student Engagement in Research During the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence”
2023–2024: 2023 Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center Research Program, “Monitoring Aquatic Biodiversity in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Through Environmental DNA Metabarcoding”
2022–2023: NYU Climate Change Initiative Seed Grants, “Preparing for Climate Change: Monitoring Aquatic Biodiversity in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park”
2022–2023: NYU Liberal Studies, Team Teaching Award with Joyce Apsel, “Sustainable Human Rights”
2021–2022: NYU Liberal Studies, Works in Progress Grant: NYU Liberal Studies, Summer Scholarship and Creative Production Award, “Monitoring Aquatic Biodiversity in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Through Environmental DNA Metabarcoding”
2020–2021: NYU Arts and Science, Teaching Innovation Award, “Creative Approaches to Remote Learning: Critical Questions of Environmental Health and Disease"
2019–2020: NYU Liberal Studies, New Faculty Scholarship and Creative Production Award
2019–2020: NYU Liberal Studies, Team Teaching Award with Joyce Apsel, “Sustainable Human Rights”
2018–present: Visiting Scientist, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History
2017–2018: NYU University Research Challenge Fund, “Monitoring urban oyster restoration through transformative environmental DNA analysis
2017–2018: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Coral Reef Program, “Comparative environmental DNA analysis of Hawaiian Coral Reef Fishes”
2017: NYU Liberal Studies Faculty Research Challenge Awards, “Satellite Tracking Globally Endangered Green Sea Turtles of the Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge”
2013–present: Research Associate, American Museum of Natural History
Vilaça, ST and AT Hahn, E Naro-Maciel, FA Abreu-Grobois, BW Bowen, JC Castilhos, C Ciofi, et al. 2022. Global Phylogeography of Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys spp.): Evolution, Demography, Connectivity, and Conservation. Conservation Genetics. DOI:10.1007/s10592-022-01465-3.
Naro-Maciel, E, MR Ingala, IE Werner, BN Reid, and AM Fitzgerald. 2022. COI Amplicon Sequence Data of Environmental DNA Collected from the Bronx River Estuary, New York City. Metabarcoding and Metagenomics 6: e80139. DOI: 10.3897/mbmg.6.80139.
Reid, BN, JA. Servis, M Timmers, F Rohwer, and E Naro-Maciel. 2022. 18S rDNA Amplicon Sequence Data (V1–V3) of the Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Central Pacific.” Metabarcoding and Metagenomics 6: e78762. DOI: 10.3897/mbmg.6.78762.
Ingala, MR, IE Werner, AM Fitzgerald, and E Naro-Maciel. 2021. 18S rRNA Amplicon Sequence Data (V1–V3) of the Bronx River Estuary, New York. Metabarcoding and Metagenomics 5: e69691. DOI: 10.3897/mbmg.5.69691.
Banerjee, SM, JA Stoll, CD Allen, JM Lynch, HS Harris, L Kenyon, RE Connon, EJ Sterling, E Naro-Maciel, et al. 2021. Species and Population Specific Gene Expression in Blood Transcriptomes of Marine Turtles. BMC Genomics 22: 346. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07656-5.
Morrison, ES, E Naro-Maciel, KM Bonney. 2021. Innovation in a time of crisis: Adapting active learning for remote biology courses. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education.
Soares LS, KA Bjorndal, AB Bolten, ML Wayne, JC de Castilhos, MI Weber, M López-Mendilaharsu, MA Marcovaldi, ST Vilaça, E Naro-Maciel. 2021. Reproductive output, foraging destinations, and isotopic niche of olive ridley and loggerhead sea turtles, and their hybrids, in Brazil. Endangered Species Research.
Servis JA, BN Reid, MA Timmers, V Stergioula, E Naro-Maciel. 2020. Characterizing coral reef biodiversity: Genetic species delimitation in brachyuran crabs of Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific. Mitochondrial DNA Part A: DOI: 10.1080/24701394.2020.1769087.
Naro-Maciel E, MR Ingala, IE Werner, AM Fitzgerald. 2020. 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing of Urban Prokaryotic Communities in the South Bronx River Estuary. Microbiology Resource Announcements 9:e00182-20. DOI: 10.1128/MRA.00182-20.
Douglas KE, P Shea, AL Porzecanski, E Naro-Maciel. 2020. What’s in the water? Using environmental DNA for marine monitoring and planning. Lessons in Conservation 10(1):29–48. Available from ncep.amnh.org/linc.
Reid, Brendan, Jamie M Kass, Ella Viola, John B Iverson, Evelyn Jensen, Michael Russello, Jenna Pantophlet, M Zachary Peery, Christopher Raxworthy, Seth Wollney, and Eugenia Naro-Maciel. 2019. Disentangling the genetic effects of refugial isolation and range expansion in a trans-continentally distributed species. Heredity 122 (2019): 441-457. Web
Naro-Maciel, Eugenia, Felicity Arengo, Peter Galante, George Balazs, Katherine Holmes, Erin Vintinner, and Eleanor J. Sterling. Marine protected areas and migratory species: Residency of green turtles at Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific. Endangered Species Research 37 (2018): 165-182. Web.
Naro-Maciel, Eugenia, Kristen M. Hart, Rossana Cruciata, and Nathan F. Putman. DNA and Dispersal Models Highlight Constrained Connectivity in a Migratory Marine Megavertebrate. Ecography 40.5 (2017): 586-597. Web.
Rees AF, J Alfaro-Shigueto, PCR Barata, KA Bjorndal, AB Bolten, J Bourjea, AC Broderick, LM Campbell, L Cardona, C Carreras, P Casale, SA Ceriani, PH Dutton, T Eguchi, A Formia, MMPB Fuentes, WJ Fuller, M Girondot, MH Godfrey, M Hamann, KM Hart, GC Hays, S Hochscheid, Y Kaska, MP Jensen, JC Mangel, JA Mortimer, E Naro-Maciel, CKY Ng, WJ Nichols, AD Phillott, RD Reina, O Revuelta, G Schofield, JA Seminoff, K Shanker, J Tomás, JP van de Merwe, KS Van Houtan, HB Vander Zanden, BP Wallace, KR Wedemeyer-Strombel, TM Work, BJ Godley. 2016. Are we working towards global research priorities for management and conservation of sea turtles? Endangered Species Research 31:337-382.
Neeman N, JA Servis, E Naro-Maciel. 2015. Conservation Issues: Oceanic Ecosystems. Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.09198-3.
McFadden, Katherine W., Andrés Gómez, Eleanor J. Sterling, and Eugenia Naro-Maciel. Potential Impacts of Historical Disturbance on Green Turtle Health in the Unique & Protected Marine Ecosystem of Palmyra Atoll (Central Pacific). Marine Pollution Bulletin 89.1-2 (2014): 160-67. Web.
Naro-Maciel, Eugenia, Brendan N. Reid, S. Elizabeth Alter, George Amato, Karen A. Bjorndal, Alan B. Bolten, Meredith Martin, Campbell J. Nairn, Brian Shamblin, and Oscar Pineda-Catalan. From Refugia to Rookeries: Phylogeography of Atlantic Green Turtles. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 461 (2014): 306-16. Web.
Naro-Maciel, E., S. J. Gaughran, N. F. Putman, G. Amato, F. Arengo, P. H. Dutton, K. W. McFadden, E. C. Vintinner, and E. J. Sterling. Predicting Connectivity of Green Turtles at Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific: A Focus on MtDNA and Dispersal Modelling. Journal of The Royal Society Interface 11.93 (2014): 20130888. Web.
Putman, N. F., and E. Naro-Maciel. Finding the 'lost Years' in Green Turtles: Insights from Ocean Circulation Models and Genetic Analysis. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280.1768 (2013): 20131468. Web.
Naro-Maciel, E., A. C. V. Bondioli, M. Martin, A. De Padua Almeida, C. Baptistotte, C. Bellini, M. A. Marcovaldi, A. J. B. Santos, and G. Amato. The Interplay of Homing and Dispersal in Green Turtles: A Focus on the Southwestern Atlantic. Journal of Heredity 103.6 (2012): 792-805. Web.
Naro-Maciel, Eugenia, Brendan Reid, Katherine E. Holmes, Daniel R. Brumbaugh, Meredith Martin, and Rob DeSalle. Mitochondrial DNA Sequence Variation in Spiny Lobsters: Population Expansion, Panmixia, and Divergence. Marine Biology Mar Biol 158.9 (2011): 2027-041. Web.
Naro-Maciel, Eugenia, Brendan Reid, Nancy N. Fitzsimmons, Minh Le, Rob DeSalle, and George Amato. DNA Barcodes for Globally Threatened Marine Turtles: A Registry Approach to Documenting Biodiversity. Molecular Ecology Resources 10.2 (2010): 252-63. Web.
Naro-Maciel, Eugenia, Minh Le, Nancy N. Fitzsimmons, and George Amato. Evolutionary Relationships of Marine Turtles: A Molecular Phylogeny Based on Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 49.2 (2008): 659-62. Web.