C-MAIKI 

Kiana Frank

​Assistant Professor
Pacific Biosciences Research Center
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

Phone: (808) 539-7300
Fax: (808) 539-7310
E-mail: klfrank@hawaii.edu
Web: https://www.labhuiofrank.com/

instagram: @labhuiofrank

twitter: @labhuiofrank

MY RESEARCH

I study the microbial dynamics (who they are, how many of them there are, what they eat, what factors control them and how they impact their ecosystem) of Hawaiian ecosystems (water and earth) as a mechanism to better understand the connectivity between land and sea (with respect to ecosystem function and traditional management).

C-MĀIKI SYNERGY

The impact of my research is synergistic with C-MĀIKI Investigators by providing a foundation to understand and contextualize host-associated microbial interactions with microbial dynamics associated to unique physico-chemical environments.

IMPACT TO HAWAII

The direction and scope of my work is driven by the input and needs of ‘āina-based community organizations and stakeholders. My research helps to understand the connectivity of ahupuaʻa - from microbe to meaʻai - to promote the restoration, sustainability and resilience of Hawaii’s agricultural and coastal marine resources. Moreover, my work leverages traditional ʻike (knowledge) to guide the design of experiments and analysis of scientific results.