Anthony Amend
Professor, Pacific Biosciences Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology
Principal Investigator, Integrative Center for Environmental Microbiomes and Human Health, NIH Center of Excellence
Phone: (808) 956-6149
Email: amend@hawaii.edu
Web: http://www.amendlab.com
Bluesky: @fungaloha
MY RESEARCH
I study the factors that shape diverse microbial communities, and why differences in those communities matter for hosts and ecosystems. Our lab studies microbes in plants and invertebrates in the ocean and on land, their impact on human health, food webs and metabolic efficiency, and ways to leverage microbial superpowers to solve pressing problems like plastic waste.
C-MĀIKI SYNERGY
I'm broadly interested in the idea of ecological connectivity and networks and how seemingly unconnected organisms and substrates are linked via shared microbes and the molecules they produce or elicit. My interest in connectivity with nature extends naturally to interest in connectivity in research. Much of this is achieved by supporting training, networking, and research infrastructure through our NIH center grant: https://icemhh.pbrc.hawaii.edu/
IMPACT TO HAWAII
One of our main interests is how microbes can be used in restoration. At the moment we're working on using microbial transplants to help restore some of Hawaii's most endangered plants, and are engineering microbes to transform plastic waste into molecules that can be reintegrated into living organisms. We are also dedicated to describing Hawaiʻs unique biodiversity. Ultimately I hope that C-MAIKI will lead to a greater understanding of how microbes can be used to help restore entire ecosystems.
