Mohamed Abou Donia is one of 15 recipients of an award from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation as part of the Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative investigator program.

Donia, an assistant professor of molecular biology, studies the chemical and biological interactions between various aquatic organisms – such as marine sponges, algae and mollusks – and the microbes with which they form symbiotic relationships.

Donia and the other recipients will receive five years of unrestricted support to pursue innovative, risky research that has high potential for significant conceptual or methodological advances in aquatic symbiosis, with the goal of learning more about the origins, evolution, physiology, ecology and natural history of aquatic symbioses. The investigators will focus on a variety of marine and freshwater organisms, including viruses, archaea, bacteria, algae, sponges, corals and fish.

The cohort will also have the opportunity to develop and strengthen collaborations at annual gatherings.