Originally from Northern Ireland, Mark graduated from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) with a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Marine Biology. As an undergraduate, he spent an exchange year abroad at the University of Richmond (Virginia, USA) investigating Floridian marine sponges. He earned his Ph.D. in 2019 at the University of Mississippi working with Dr. Tamar Goulet studying the impacts of environmental perturbation on the host, algae and microbiome of gorgonian corals in the Caribbean. He then worked as a post-doctoral researcher with Dr. Colin Jackson at the same institute investigating the phylogenetic patterns of microbiomes in freshwater mussels across the Southeastern United States. Mark is fascinated by the role of microbiomes in holobiont interactions, specifically between cnidarians and their algae (Symbiodiniaceae), and he is looking forward to exploring new facets of these symbioses in the Loesgen lab at the Whitney Lab for Marine Bioscience.