Mora Jove Groussman, Ph.D.
Bioinformatics Professional | Oceanographer | Data Scientist
Professional Summary
Bioinformatics professional with expertise in multi-modal analysis of high-dimensional data, specializing in marine microbial ecology. Experienced in developing novel algorithms and tools for large-scale genomic and transcriptomic analyses. Skilled in integrating diverse datasets to uncover complex biological interactions and metabolic pathways in marine ecosystems.
Skills & Domain Knowledge
Bioinformatics & Data Analysis
- Multi-modal analysis of high-dimensional data (NGS, omics, environmental)
- Advanced statistical methods and machine learning (scikit-learn)
- Expertise in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metagenomics
- Complex data visualization (matplotlib, ggplot2, plotly)
Programming & Software Development
- Python (biopython, numpy, pandas)
- R (Bioconductor, tidyverse)
- Linux/Unix shell scripting
- Version control (Git) and collaborative development
Data Management & Cloud Computing
- Large-scale dataset handling and relational databases
- Cloud platforms (AWS) and High-Performance Computing (SLURM)
- Containerization (Docker, Singularity)
Domain Expertise
- Molecular & Cellular Biology: biochemistry, metabolism, developmental biology
- Microbiology & Ecology: molecular ecology, marine ecosystems
- Oceanography: biological, chemical, and physical processes
- Systems Biology: integration of multi-scale biological data
Soft Skills
- Scientific writing and publication
- Project management and team collaboration
- Interdisciplinary research experience
- Effective communication of complex scientific concepts
Professional Experience
Postdoctoral Scholar
January 2023 – January 2024
University of Washington, School of Oceanography, Seattle, WA
- Designed and published MarFERReT, a marine microbial eukaryote protein reference library, adding hundreds of new species and tens of millions of validated reference proteins
- Developed pipelines and novel algorithms for reproducible cross-validation of genetic reference data
- Generated publicly-available data repositories for nearly 200 million environmental gene sequences and their functional and taxonomic annotations
- Created versioned online repositories for project code, documentation, and containerized software packages, enhancing reproducibility and collaboration
Graduate Research Assistant
June 2016 – December 2022
University of Washington, School of Oceanography, Seattle, WA
- Published 10 papers in peer-reviewed journals; presented research at 5 international conferences
- Processed, analyzed and distributed NGS data from 300+ marine samples using Python, R, and Linux shell scripts, advancing understanding of marine biogeochemical cycles
- Implemented data visualization techniques to elucidate complex datasets, identifying novel microbial interactions and metabolic pathways
- Developed key bioinformatics data pipelines for a novel machine learning study of marine microbial eukaryote metabolism
- Applied multi-variate statistics to analyze multi-dimensional transcriptomic datasets encompassing hundreds of organisms and millions of gene sequences
Teaching Assistant
March 2018 – December 2021
University of Washington, School of Oceanography, Seattle, WA
- Developed course material for the undergraduate courses Marine Biogeochemical Cycles and Integrative Oceanography, enhancing student comprehension and engagement
Undergraduate Research Assistant
November 2012 – June 2016
University of Washington, School of Oceanography, Seattle, WA
- Contributed to bioinformatic pipeline development using Python, R, and command-line operations
- Leveraged Bayesian statistics to elucidate global iron biometabolism
- Gained early experience in environmental RNA sequencing analysis
- Co-authored 2 publications; presented at 1 international conference
Education
Ph.D. in Oceanography
December 2022
University of Washington, School of Oceanography, Seattle, WA
Dissertation: "Resolving the molecular ecology of marine microbial eukaryotes with metatranscriptomes."
M.S. in Oceanography
December 2018
University of Washington, School of Oceanography, Seattle, WA
B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (magna cum laude)
March 2016
University of Washington, College of Arts and Sciences, Seattle, WA
Minor in Oceanography | GPA: 3.94/4.0
Field Experience
- Chief Scientist, R/V Rachel Carson (RC0064), Training Cruise, 27-28 September 2021
- Gradients 3 Cruise, R/V Kilo Moana, 8-30 April 2019
- Gradients 2 Cruise, R/V Marcus G Langseth, 27 May - 13 June 2017
- Gradients 1 Cruise, R/V Ka'imikai-O-Kanaloa, 19 April - 4 May 2016
- VISIONS'14, Installation of Regional Scale Nodes (RSN), R/V Thomas G. Thompson, September 2014
Grants, Fellowships, and Awards
Research Grants and Fellowships
- NASA Space Grant Consortium's Graduate Fellowship Program, University of Washington (2022)
- XSEDE Grant #OCE200009 (2020): "Metatranscriptome assemblies of microbial eukaryotic and bacterial communities across biogeochemical gradients in the North Pacific Ocean"
- XSEDE Grant #OCE190002 (2019): "Assembly of the Whole Community Metatranscriptome from the North Pacific Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front"
- Integral Environmental Big Data Research Fund (2018): "Eukaryotic phytoplankton gene expression in the North Pacific across diel and basin-scale studies"
- XSEDE Grant #OCE160019 (2016): "Diel changes in eukaryotic gene expression within the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre"
- ARCS Foundation Fellow (2016-2022)
Academic Honors and Scholarships
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Honorable Mention (2016)
- Levinson Emerging Scholars Award (2014-2016)
- Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (2012-2015)
- Mary Gates Endowed Scholarship (2013-2014)
- The Boeing Company Endowed Scholarship (2012-2013)
- National Science Foundation S-STEM Scholarship (2012-2013)
- Broadway High School Alumni Endowed Scholarship for Transfer Students (2013)
- University of Washington President's List (2013-2016)
Selected Presentations
- Meta-eukomic Seminar 2024, online webinar (Invited speaker): "Using the MarFERReT eukaryotic sequence library for dynamic, custom and reproducible reference libraries"
- Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020, San Diego, CA: "Diel Gene Expression of Eukaryotic Microplankton in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre: Metatranscriptomic Windows into Temporal Function, Ecology, and Evolution of Uncultured Microbes" (Oral and poster presentation)
- ASLO 2019 Aquatic Sciences Meeting, San Juan, PR: "Diel Gene Expression of Eukaryotic Phytoplankton in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre: Temporal and Functional Niche Differentiation from Metatranscriptomes" (Oral presentation)
- Ocean Sciences Meeting 2018, Portland, OR: "Eukaryotic Metatranscriptomes of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front: Gene Expression Patterns across Time, Space, and Phylogeny" (Poster presentation)
- 4th International Conference on the Molecular Life of Diatoms 2017, Kobe, Japan: "Diel Transcriptional Patterns of Eukaryotic Phytoplankton in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre" (Poster presentation)
Outreach and Engagement
Guest Speaking and Presentations
- Invited Speaker, GEODUC Scholars Seminar, University of Washington (February 2, 2024)
- Oceanography Career Presentation, Nova High School, Seattle, WA (January 26, 2023)
- Guest Speaker, Ingraham High School, Seattle, WA (March 8, 2018): Topic: Careers in Science and Marine Biology
- Community Presentation, Sound Water Stewards, Whidbey Island, WA (March 23, 2017): Topic: Plankton and Marine Ecosystems
- Guest Seminar, University of Washington (February 14, 2017): Course: Ecosystem Services Provided by Marine Environments (ESRM 429)
Mentorship
- Mentored high school student Sagarika Samavedi, Interlake High School (August 2017 – Winter 2019)
Community Involvement
- Volunteer, First LGBTQ+ Mindfulness Meditation Retreat, Northwest Vipassana Center (March 16–27, 2022)