Dr. Molly Moynihan Assistant Professor Department of Geosciences E-mail: mmoynihan@fau.edu   Phone:  Office: SE-466

About: Ph.D. Marine Biogeochemistry (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) 2021 M.S. Oceanography & Marine Environments (Sorbonne University, France) 2014 B.S. Earth Science (Cornell University) 2011 Google Scholar Lab Website Research Interests: Coral reefs, biomineralization, mechanics of coral skeletons, microbial ecology, endolithic microbes, sulfur and nitrogen biogeochemistry, green sulfur bacteria, microbial 'omics

Teaching:

Oceanography and Marine Geology
Geomicrobiology

PhD Students: 

Actively recruiting, please contact Dr. Moynihan if interested.
 

Peer-reviewed Publications:

1. Hinkle, J. E., Chanton, J. P., Moynihan, M. A., Ruff, S. E., & Teske, A. (2025). Complex bacterial diversity of Guaymas Basin hydrothermal sediments revealed by synthetic long-read sequencing (LoopSeq). Frontiers in Microbiology, 15, 1491488.
2. Nichols, R. S., Moynihan, M. A., & Martin, P. (2023). Alkaline phosphatase activity in an equatorial coral reef ecosystem unrelated to seasonal nutrient dynamics. Coral Reefs, 42(4), 827-843.
3. Martin, P., Moynihan, M. A., Chen, S., Woo, O. Y., Zhou, Y., Nichols, R. S., Chang, Y.W., Tan, A.S., Chen, Y.H., Ren, H. & Chen, M. (2022). Monsoon-driven biogeochemical dynamics in an equatorial shelf sea: Time-series observations in the Singapore Strait. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 270, 107855.
4. Moynihan, M. A., Amini, S., Oalmann, J., Chua, J. I., Tanzil, J. T., Fan, T. Y., Miserez, A. & Goodkin, N. F. (2022). Crystal orientation mapping and microindentation reveal anisotropy in Porites skeletons. Acta Biomaterialia, 151, 446-456.
5. Moynihan, M. A., Goodkin, N. F., Morgan, K. M., Kho, P. Y., Lopes dos Santos, A., Lauro, F. M., Baker, D.M., & Martin, P. (2022). Coral-associated nitrogen fixation rates and diazotrophic diversity on a nutrient-replete equatorial reef. The ISME journal, 16(1), 233-246.
6. Moynihan, M. A., Amini, S., Goodkin, N. F., Tanzil, J. T., Chua, J. I., Fabbro, G. N., Fan, T.Y., Schmidt, D.N. & Miserez, A. (2021). Environmental impact on the mechanical properties of Porites spp. corals. Coral Reefs, 40(3), 701-717.
7. Conti-Jerpe, I. E., Thompson, P. D., Wong, C. W. M., Oliveira, N. L., Duprey, N. N., Moynihan, M. A., & Baker, D. M. (2020). Trophic strategy and bleaching resistance in reef-building corals. Science Advances, 6(15), eaaz5443.
8. Morgan, K. M., Moynihan, M. A., Sanwlani, N., & Switzer, A. D. (2020). Light limitation and depth-variable sedimentation drives vertical reef compression on turbid coral reefs. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 571256.
9. Moynihan, M. A., Barbier, P., Olivier, F., Toupoint, N., & Meziane, T. (2016). Spatial and temporal dynamics of nano‐and pico‐size particulate organic matter (POM) in a coastal megatidal marine system. Limnology and Oceanography, 61(3), 1087-1100.
10. Gronewold, A. D., Stow, C. A., Vijayavel, K., Moynihan, M. A., & Kashian, D. R. (2013). Differentiating Enterococcus concentration spatial, temporal, and analytical variability in recreational waters. water research, 47(7), 2141-2152.
11. Moynihan, M. A., Baker, D. M., & Mmochi, A. J. (2012). Isotopic and microbial indicators of sewage pollution from Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Marine pollution bulletin, 64(7), 1348-1355.