Paul Moran, Ph.D.

Background

Paul Moran is a Research Geneticist in the Conservation Biology Division's Genetics and Evolution Program. He began his tenure with NOAA Fisheries in 1992. He received a B.S. in Biology from the University of Southern Oregon and an M.S. in Biology from Central Washington University. Moran earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Maine where he described systematics, speciation and population genetics in East African cichlid fishes.

Current Research

Moran leads an active group of scientists and students studying ecological genetic problems related to conservation and marine stewardship. Principal research topics include population genetics, historical demographics, and evolutionary response in natural and captive populations. Molecular genetic methods are used to identify population-of-origin of individuals and to study habitat use, migration, and the geographic distribution of life history variation. Pedigrees are constructed in natural populations and used to estimate selection coefficients and heritabilities for fitness traits. Morans group also studies natural and anthropogenic hybridization (both historical and contemporary) and the genetics of invasive species (native or non-native). In sum, the lab focuses on the application of genetic methods to explore the interface of basic and applied science in marine conservation.

Curriculum vitae (PDF, 7 pages)