CV Highlights

Primary Advisor: Dr. Mark Warner, Co-Advisor: Dr. Bastian Bentlage (UoG) 

Proposal Title: Plastic Partnerships: Investigating life history strategies constraining phenotypic plasticity across coral holobiont partners. (NSF Ocean Sciences; Sole PI: Dr. Serena Hackerott)  

Primary Advisor: Dr. Mark Warner 

Research Focus: Novel bio-optical tools for scaling up coral restoration practices in cooperatively managed reef systems in the Pacific. (CORDAP; Lead PI: Dr. Kenneth Hoadley of UA)  

Primary Advisor: Dr. Jose Eirin-Lopez 

Dissertation Title: Evaluating the capacity and molecular underpinnings of phenotypic plasticity and environmental memory in Caribbean Acropora corals. Awarded FIU SEAS Best Dissertation

Primary Advisor: Dr. John Bruno 

Thesis Title: The effect of invasive lionfish on reef fish community structure along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.

Minors in Chemistry and Marine Sciences GPA: 3.673

Research Advisor: Dr. John Bruno

Thesis Title: Native predators do not influence invasion success of Pacific lionfish on Caribbean reefs. Highest Honors and Carolina Research Scholar

 Huffmyer, A. S., E. L. Strand, S. Hackerott, K. H. Wong, D. M. Becker, D. Connetta, K. X. Terpis, F. Pfab, J. Wong, Z. Dellaert, F. J. Olario, R. Cunning, J. M. Eirin-Lopez, S. B. Roberts, R. M. Nisbet, H. M. Putnam. (In review) Seasonal plasticity of symbiotic strategies clarifies coral holobiont resistance and resilience. Pre-print available.  

Hackerott, S., H. A. Martell, S. Mansoor, D. G. Souto, J. M. Eirin-Lopez. (2025) DNA methylation dynamics in response to acute thermal exposure reveal the influence of heating, dose, and recovery in the staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis. Journal of Thermal Biology 134: 104338. (Shared first-authorship with interchangeable order)

Hackerott, S., L. Gregory, J. Howard, J. M. Eirin-Lopez. (2025)  Picture of health: Testing an accessible method for quantifying coral bleaching. Coral Reefs 44: 1327-1340 

 Hackerott, S., F. Virdis, J. M. Wong, P. J. Flood, C. Travers, J. M. Eirin-Lopez. (2025)  The influence of environmental history on the performance of Acropora cervicornis corals varies spatially and temporally. Science of the Total Environment 977: 179385 

Fuller, C. N., S. Mansoor, S. J. Guzman, L. V. Tose, S. Hackerott, J. Rodriguez-Casariedo, J. M. Eirin-Lopez, F. Fernandez-Lima. (2025) Mapping heat stress-induced core histone post-translational modifications in Acropora cervicornis. Environmental Epigenetics 11(1): dvaf017 

Hackerott, S., F. Virdis, P. J. Flood, D. G. Souto, W. Paez, J. M. Eirin-Lopez. (2023) Relationships between phenotypic plasticity and epigenetic variation in two Caribbean Acropora corals. Molecular Ecology 32(17): 4814-4828

Beal A. P., S. Hackerott, K. Feldheim, S. Gruber, J. M. Eirin-Lopez. (2022) Age group DNA methylation differences in lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris): Implications for future age estimation tools. Ecology and Evolution 12: e9226

Hackerott, S., H. A. Martell, J. M. Eirin-Lopez. (2021) Coral environmental memory: Causes, mechanisms, and consequences for future reefs. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 36: 1011-1023

Beal A. P., S. Hackerott, B. Franks, S. Gruber, K. Feldheim, J. M. Eirin-Lopez. (2021) Epigenetic responses in juvenile Lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) during a coastal dredging episode in Bimini, Bahamas. Ecological Indicators 127: 107793

Hackerott, S., A. Valdivia, C. E. Cox, N. J. Silbiger, J. F. Bruno. (2017) Invasive lionfish had no measurable effect on prey fish community structure on the Belizean Barrier Reef. PeerJ 5:e3270

 Valdivia A., J. F. Bruno, C. E. Cox, S. Hackerott, S. J. Green. (2014) Re-examining the relationship between invasive lionfish and native grouper in the Caribbean. PeerJ 2:e348 

Hackerott, S., A. Valdivia, S. Green, I. Côté, C. E. Cox, L. Adkins, C. A. Layman, W. F. Precht, J. F. Bruno. (2013) Native predators do not influence invasion success of Pacific lionfish on Caribbean reefs. PLoS ONE 8(7): e68259.