Faculty and Program Leaders

Jennifer Morgan is an Associate Scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole MA, where she also serves as the Director for The Eugene Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering. Jennifer received her Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Duke University, where she worked with Dr. George Augustine on mechanisms of synaptic transmission with a focus on synaptic vesicle recycling. She then carried out her postdoctoral studies on membrane trafficking in the Cell Biology Department at Yale University under the guidance of Dr. Pietro De Camilli. In 2007, Morgan joined the Section of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Texas at Austin as an Assistant Professor where she expanded her research program to include spinal cord injury and regeneration mechanisms. In 2012, Dr. Morgan was recruited to the MBL’s Bell Center to expand her research in regenerative biology. She continues to study the mechanisms of synaptic transmission under both normal conditions and disease states, with a particular interest in how neurotransmission is affected by Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Dr. Morgan was a recipient of the Janett Rosenberg Trubatch Career Development Award from the Society for Neuroscience (2011) and a University of Texas Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award (2012), and she was a Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow in 2014. Dr. Morgan’s research program has been funded during the last 10 years by NIH/NINDS-NIA, Morton Cure Paralysis Fund, Paralyzed Veterans of America, NY State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board, and the Owens Family Foundation.

Nipam Patel, Ph.D., is Director of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and a Professor at the University of Chicago. He joined the MBL in 2018 from University of California, Berkeley, where he was Professor and Co-chair of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology. Patel is the 20^th scientist to serve as MBL Director since its founding in 1888.

Patel grew up in El Paso, Texas, and received an A.B. in Biology from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University. Prior to joining UC Berkeley in 2003, he was a professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago (1995 to 2003), a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator (1995 to 2010), and a Staff Associate in the Department of Embryology at the Carnegie Institution in Baltimore, Md. (1991 to 1995).

A longtime member of the MBL community, Patel has taught in the MBL Embryology course since 2001 and served as course co-director from 2007 to 2011. He is a leading scholar in modern evolutionary and developmental biology with specific focus on the evolution of body patterning and segmentation, regeneration of the germline, and structural coloration. His scientific expertise encompasses the development of novel, genetic model organisms for biological study, which can reveal much about human biology; and the application of advanced imaging technologies to probe the fundamental dynamics of living systems.

Patel is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has been awarded numerous honors, including the Schubert Endowed Chair and the William V. Power Endowed Chair at UC Berkeley, the McKnight Scholars Neuroscience Fellowship Award, and an NSF Predoctoral Fellowship. Other past appointments include faculty curator at the Essig Museum of Entomology, UC Berkeley; and adjunct professor at the National Institute of Genetics in Shizuoka, Japan.

Linda E. Hyman is the Burroughs Wellcome Director of Education at the Marine Biological Laboratory. In this role, she oversees direction of MBL’s academic programs at all levels—from secondary students, to undergraduates, graduates, and post-graduates, including the world-renown Advanced Research Discovery courses. Dr. Hyman was previously Associate Provost at Boston University School of Medicine leading the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS), where her effort was largely focused on supporting over 1000 students and post-doctoral trainees. In addition, she spearheaded several initiatives that supported professional development as well as diversity and outreach efforts. At the national level, she served as Chair of the AAMC GREAT (Graduate Research Education and Training) group and recently completed a term as the Division Director in the BIO directorate of the National Science Foundation. Other roles include Vice Provost for Health Science at Montana State University in Bozeman, and as Director of the WWAMI Medical Education Program, University of Washington School of Medicine’s multi-state medical education program. There, she also acted as Assistant Dean for Regional Affairs at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She received a B.S. from State University of New York at Albany and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Biology from Brandeis University. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Tufts University School of Medicine. In 1981, she served as a course assistant in the MBL Embryology course.

Jennifer Walton is Director of Library Services at the Marine Biological Laboratory Library and Co-Director of the MBLWHOI Library. She also serves as the MBL Archivist and Rare Books Librarian. She has held a variety of positions at MBL, focusing on serving the information needs of scientists. She has a B.A. from Colby College and a Masters of Library and Information Science from Simmons College. She joined MBL in 2000 and was named Director of Library Services in 2016.