The Cleves Lab

Principal Investigator, Pew Marine and Biomedical Science Fellow

Phillip A. Cleves, PhD

Dr. Cleves’ research focuses on the genetic and cellular basis of endosymbiosis in animals. He is specifically interested in gene regulation, cell fate changes, and genomic constraints that emerge when animals associate with beneficial microbial symbionts. The lab uses several cnidarian models, the anemone Aiptasia and reef-building corals, and new genetic tools to study their ecologically important endosymbiosis with dinoflagellate algae. The research will both provide insights into how beneficial microbial interactions shape animals and how this specific interaction controls the fate of corals in response to increased ocean temperature.

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Lab Manager

Natalie Swinhoe, MSc

Natalie received her bachelor’s degree from UC Davis where she did research in plant pathology examining the grape pathogen Xylella fastidiosa. She later attended James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, and received a master’s degree in marine biology where she assisted with research on dwarf minke whales, pygmy squid, and spawning corals. Natalie joined the Cleves Lab when it opened in 2020 and helped build and establish the Aiptasia and coral spawning systems that the lab uses to study host-symbiont interactions. In the Cleves Lab, Natalie’s research focuses on understanding which specific genes contribute to symbiosis establishment, maintenance, and breakdown.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Shumpei Maruyama, PhD

Shumpei earned his PhD from Oregon State University in the Weis Lab where he studied how various aspects of algal cell physiology affected cnidarian-algal symbiosis. Shumpei is broadly interested in understanding the molecular cross-talk that occurs between the two partners and how this communication governs the dynamics of symbiosis. In the Cleves lab, Shumpei is characterizing the symbiosome, a membrane-bound organelle that houses the algal symbiont within the cnidarian host cell and functions as the interface in which the two partners communicate.

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Postdoctoral Fellow

Ryan Hulett, PhD

Ryan received his PhD from Harvard University, where his dissertation investigated how heterogeneous adult pluripotent stem cells give rise to diverse cell types during whole-body regeneration. His background has been in exploring fundamental questions in animal biology- including the origins of animal multicellularity, the evolution of animal regeneration, and now, how microbes impact animal development and physiology in a changing world as a HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow.

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Postdoctoral Fellow

Dania Nanes Sarfati, PhD

Dania received her doctoral degree from Stanford University, where her research investigated the communication pathways mediating symbiotic interactions between algae and acoel hosts during host regeneration. Her research interests broadly center on symbiosis as a fundamental process in multicellular life, with a focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing cross-species interactions in photosymbiotic systems. Dania is now investigating the transcriptional responses to heat stress in the sea anemone Aiptasia, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying symbiont dysbiosis during stress and inform coral bleaching remediation strategies.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Jessica Ciesla, PhD

Jessica earned her PhD from the University of Rochester in the Munger Lab, where she studied mechanisms of viral infection that modulate innate immunity to support productive infection. With a longstanding interest in coral biology and conservation, Jessica transitioned her focus to explore similar dynamics in coral-algae symbiosis. Her research in the Cleves Lab aims to understand the mechanisms by which algal symbionts evade or tolerate cnidarian innate immunity to establish stable symbiosis using a model cnidarian Aiptasia, a sea anemone, and RNAi to functionally test the impact of Aiptasia genes on symbiont establishment.

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PhD student

Catherine Henderson

Cat earned a B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology and a B.A. in Applied Statistics from Sonoma State University where she studied the role of reactive sulfur species in immune and bacterial cell signaling. Her interest in understanding the evolution of innate immune tolerance mechanisms brought her to the Cleves Lab, where she is interested in the signaling pathways involved in the establishment, maintenance, and breakdown of symbioses in Cnidarians.

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PhD student

Griffin Kowalewski

Griffin received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech. During his post-bac, he joined the Culotta lab at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health where he studied the regulation of an NADPH oxidase (FRE8) in polarized growth signaling of the opportunistic fungal pathogen, Candida albicans. Griffin explores his passion for studying host-microbe interactions in the Cleves lab, where he researches the role of symbiosis associated genes in the maintenance and breakdown of the cnidarian-algal symbiosis.

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PhD student

Evan Lawrence

Evan received his B.S. in Biology from William & Mary where he researched how harmful algal blooms impact the formation of aquatic 'dead zones' in the Anderson Lab. Before joining the Johns Hopkins CMDB program, he investigated the basis of the coral/algal and legume/rhizobia symbioses as a technician in the Lewinski and Belin labs, respectively. In the Cleves Lab, Evan researches the genetic basis of thermal tolerance variation in Cnidarians with the hope of gaining insight into coral bleaching.

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PhD student

Emily Meier

Emily earned her honors B.S. degree in marine biology from Oregon State University, where she researched coral biology and adaptation to environmental stress in the Weis and Meyer labs. She worked to develop biochemical assays for rapid point-of-care diagnostics at Roche and the Innovative Genomics Institute before joining the Johns Hopkins CMDB program and pursuing her interest in host-microbe interactions. In our lab, Emily studies the cnidarian immune system and how cnidarians recognize and form endosymbioses with their important photosynthetic microbes.

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Research Technician

Ty Engelke

As a molecular biologist and coral enthusiast, Ty is broadly interested in the molecular mechanisms that make cnidarians unique, and how these distinctive traits enable Cnidaria to play such pivotal roles in marine ecosystems. After graduating from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, Ty joined the Cleves lab where he works to build genetic tools to make the study of Aiptasia and reef-building corals more tractable. He hopes his work will enable a deeper understanding of these remarkable and charismatic organisms. 

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Aquarium Technician

Rebecca Jordan

Becca earned a B.S. in marine biology from East Stroudsburg University, where she developed a comprehensive understanding of marine organism physiology and ecology. Since joining Cleves lab, she has contributed to the care of Aiptasia anemones and reef-building corals, while also assisting in coral spawning activities. With a strong interest in coral biology, Becca is particularly passionate about exploring the mechanisms behind coral resilience and the cellular dynamics that govern their symbiotic relationships.

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Undergraduate researcher

Erika Ezumba

Erika is an undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins University, pursuing a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology. She is interested in exploring the mechanisms of cell communication while developing her skills in cell biology laboratory techniques. Currently, in the Cleves lab, under the mentorship of Ryan Hulett, she is studying the role of conserved developmental regulators in symbiosis formation in Aiptasia larvae with the goal of contributing to a broader understanding of cellular signaling in marine organisms.

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