Ty Roach
Postdoctoral Researcher
My Research
I am interested in all things science, but to be a little more specific, I am interested in the ways in which bacteria and viruses affect biogeochemical cycling, energy flow and community structuring in coral reef ecosystems. I also have research interests in theoretical physics, including the application of finite time thermodynamics to biological processes and the calculation of entropy in open, non-equilibrium systems. All in all, my research aims to employ a systems ecology approach, combining theory and mathematical modeling with laboratory experiments and field observations, to better understand coral reef ecosystems at scales ranging from molecules to island chains and from microbes to sharks.
Education and Experience
Postdoc - University of Hawaii, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
PhD - San Diego State University and University of California San Diego, Joint Doctoral Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, 2018
BS - North Carolina State University, Biology (BS) Botany (BS) Chemistry (BA), 2009
Current Projects
Baby ‘Omics
Publications
Little M, George E, Arts M, Benler S, Shrivack J, Huckeba J, Haas A, Rodriguez R, Mueller B, Petras D, Quinlan Z, White B, Cobian Guemes A, Quinn R, Silveira C, Wegley Kelly L, Vermeij M, Keeling P, Dorrstein P, Rohwer F, Roach TNF*. 2021. Three-dimensional molecular cartography of the Caribbean reef-building coral Orbicella faveolate. Frontiers in Marine Science 8,135.
George E E, Mullinix J, Meng F, Bailey B, Edwards C, Felts B, Haas A, Hartmann A C, Mueller B, Roach TNF, Salamon P, Silveira CB, Vermeij MJA, Rohwer FL, and Luque A. 2021. Space-filling and benthic competitions on coral reefs. PeerJ.
Roach TNF, Dilworth J, Martin CH, Jones AD, Quinn RA, Drury C. 2021. Metabolomic signatures of coral bleaching history. Nature Ecology and EvolutionI 1-9.
Roach TNF, Yadav S, Caruso C, Dilworth J, Foley CM, Hancock JR, Huckeba J, Huffmyer AS, Hughes K, Kahkejian VA, Madin EMP, Matsuda SB, McWilliam M, Miller S, Santoro EP, Rocha de Souza M, Torres-Pulliza D, Drury C, Madin JS. 2021. A field primer for monitoring benthic ecosystems using structure-from-motion photogrammetry. JoVE.
Roach TNF. 2020. Use and abuse of entropy in biology: A case for caliber. Entropy 22 (12), 1335:
Roach TNF, Arts M, Vermeij MJA, Huckeba J, Haas A, George E, Little M, Quinn R, Silveira C, Wegley Kelly, Dorrstein P, L, Rohwer F. 2020. Competition between two holobionts: A multi-omic analysis of in situ coral-algal interactions. PNAS 117 (24) 13588-13595
Silveira B, Roach TNF, Villela H, Barno A, Green K, Reyes B, Rubio-Portillo E, Le T, Mead S, Hatay M, Bailey B, Vermeij M, Takeshita Y, Haas A, Luque A, Rohwer F. 2019. Biophysical and physiological processes causing oxygen loss from coral reefs. eLife 8, e49114
Roach TNF, Rohwer F, Salamon P, Nulton J, Sibani P. 2019. Emergent Structuring in a Stochastic Model of Ecological Evolution. Ecological Modelling.
Roach TNF, Salamon P, Nulton J, Andresen B, Felts B, Haas A, Calhoun S, Robinett N, Rohwer F. 2018. Application of Finite-time and Control Thermodynamics to Biological Processes Across Multiple Scales. Journal of Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics. (invited review)
Salamon P, Roach TNF, and Rohwer. 2018. Dissipation in a Sequence of Relaxations. Biophysical Journal.
Roach TNF, Abieri ML, George E, Knowles B, Naliboff DS, Swurthwaite C, Wegley Kelly L, Haas A, Rohwer F. 2017. Microbial Bioenergetics of Coral-Algal Interactions. PeerJ.
Roach TNF, Nulton J, Sibani P, Rohwer F, Salamon P. 2017. Entropy in the Tangled Nature Model of Evolution. Entropy: Special issue on entropy in landscape ecology.
Salamon P, Roach TNF, and Rohwer F. 2017. The Ladder Theorem. Proceedings of the Joint European Thermodynamics Conference.
Has A, Fairoz M, Wegley Kelly L, Nelson C, Dinsdale E, Edwards R, Giles S, Hatay M, Hisakawa N, Knowles B, Lim YW, Maughan H, Pantos O, Roach TNF, Sanchez S, Silveria S, Sandin S, Smith J, Rohwer F. 2016. Global microbialization of coral reefs. Nature Microbiology. (Cover story) Erdős number: 2