Lauren Paul is currently a master’s degree candidate at San Diego State University (SDSU) pursuing her career in marine microbiology. Raised on the coasts of California and Oahu, she developed a deep love and curiosity for the ocean at a young age. As a teenager, she was introduced to scientific diving in the British Virgin Islands where she conducted research on coral diseases. 

During her undergraduate education at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Lauren’s marine exploratory interests were fostered at the Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine (CMBB) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). She studied the biomedical applications of marine microorganisms under the guidance of the CMBB director, Dr. William Fenical, and Dr. Paul Jensen. Upon graduating from UCSD with a B.S. in biology and minor in philosophy, Lauren was hired as a marine microbiologist at SIO. She then became a certified Scientific Diver and participated in numerous field expeditions abroad hunting for new marine bacteria. In the laboratory, she focused on the isolation of those bacterial cultures and the discovery of their novel antibiotics. Her microbiological work facilitated the isolation of 20 taxonomically diverse marine bacteria that had only been previously detected using culture-independent methods. These bacteria were associated with the production of alkaloid secondary metabolites with antibacterial properties. Furthermore, Lauren contributed to the discovery of Anthracimycin, a potent antibiotic from a marine-derived Actinomycete, which inhibited the biological warfare agent, Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis), as well as drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Her efforts have been published in scientific journals such as Chemistry and Biology, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and Angewandte Chemie. 

Currently, Lauren’s master’s thesis work explores bacteriophages as evolutionary agents of marine microbial communities in Dr. Forest Rohwer’s lab at SDSU. She is investigating the influences that bacteriophages impose on microbial communities by using host metabolism as a proxy for functional diversity. By the completion of her master’s degree, Lauren’s objective is to contribute to the larger understanding of bacteriophages as a mobile genetic pool with significant implicationsfor the evolutionary dynamics of marine microbes on a global scale. 

Lauren aspires to achieve a Ph.D. education and continue performing research within the realm of marine microbiology. She hopes to teach at the graduate level and advocate for the importance of marine microbes in both environmental and human health.

Lauren currently resides in San Diego with her fiancé, Marc and their daughter, Naia.