UH marine ecologist earns national fellowship
by University of Hawaiʻi
April 30, 2025
Lisa C. McManus, a theoretical marine ecologist in University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, was named a 2025 Ecological Society of America (ESA) Early Career Fellow on April 29. The society’s fellowship program recognizes contributions to ecological research, communication, education, management and policy throughout the United States. McManus is among 10 new Early Career Fellows in the country, and is recognized for notable efforts to investigate how climate change impacts coral reef ecosystems.
“I’m deeply honored,” McManus said. “Many ecologists I’ve long admired were previous ESA Early Career Fellows, and it’s humbling to be included among such distinguished researchers. This recognition energizes me to pursue even more ambitious questions at the intersection of theoretical ecology and coral reef science.”
In her research, McManus uses ecological theory to understand and predict the responses of marine organisms to changing ocean conditions. Her current projects examine coral-algal regime shifts, coral adaptive potential and marine conservation strategies. Through this work, McManus aims to inform conservation policies that address the long-term resilience of coral reefs. She earned her PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University.
Keep reading: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2025/04/30/mcmanus-esa-early-career-fellow/
Read the ESA press release: https://esa.org/blog/2025/04/29/ecological-society-of-america-announces-2025-fellows/