Rebecca Vega Thurber

Biography

Dr. Vega Thurber graduated from UC Santa Cruz, in 1999, with dual degrees in Marine Biology and Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology. She received her PhD from Stanford University in Biological Sciences in 2005. She conducted her NSF minority Postdoctoral Fellowship (PFRB) at San Diego State University with Dr. Forest Rohwer from 2006 to 2009.

Research

Dr. Rebecca Vega Thurber is a Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology and the Director of the Marine Science Institute at UC Santa Barbara. Her lab investigates the role and dynamics of bacteria and viruses in threatened hosts and habitats in order to better understand and mitigate or prevent the proximate causes of disease, habitat degradation, and ecosystem alteration. She is currently a Senior Editor of the flagship journal The International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal (ISMEJ) and the Editor and Chief of the new fully free journal Open Advances in Marine Biology, PeerJ. 

Dr. Vega Thurber is committed to communicating science to broader audiences including the production of a multilingual cartoon series and a full-length documentary on coral reef decline entitled, Saving Atlantis. She has spoken on Capitol Hill and has been a featured speaker at national and international meetings. Through these platforms, she seeks to educate public discourse on marine conservation and its importance to biodiversity, local economies, and cultural preservation.