Gribble Lab
Transgenerational Inheritance. Aging. Aquatic Ecology. Evolutionary Biology.
Research in the Gribble lab addresses questions of plasticity and evolution of life history strategy and aging, with a focus on transgenerational inheritance of phenotype. We combine perspectives and methods from ecology, biological oceanography, evolution, and molecular biology to investigate how environment and genetics together determine and an organism’s lifespan, reproduction, and health phenotypes. We are particularly interested in understanding “maternal effects,” or how a mother’s physiology and environment affects the phenotype of her offspring, potentially across multiple generations.
Lab News
May 2025: Postdoctoral Scientist position available in the lab!! Come join us to investigate the mitochondrial mechanisms of transgenerational inheritance and maternal effects. Apply here: Postdoc job ad
May 2025: New preprints from the lab:
- Bethany L. F. Stevens, Silke van Daalen, Tirzah J. Blomquist, Kristin E. Gribble, Michael G. Neubert. Timing the initiation of sex: Delay mechanisms alter fitness outcomes in a rotifer population model. bioRxiv 2025.04.25.650506; https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.25.650506
- Nelia Luviano Aparicio, Meghan Dryburgh, Colleen M. McMaken, Alyssa Liguori, Kristin E. Gribble. 2025. Impact of inhibitors of histone post-translational modifications on lifespan, reproduction, and stress response in the rotifer Brachionus manjavacas. bioRxiv 2025.05.03.652051; https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.03.652051
January 2025: New Year and new publication!
- Hernández, C. M., van Daalen, S. F., Liguori, A., Neubert, M. G., Caswell, H., & Gribble, K. E. 2025. Maternal effect senescence and caloric restriction interact to affect fitness through changes in life history timing. Journal of Animal Ecology, 94, 99–111. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14220
April 2024: We are hiring! A Postdoctoral Scientist position is available to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms of maternal age effects, as part of our NIA R01 project To apply: Postdoc job application
Check out our new publications!
- Liguori A., S. Korm, A. Profetto, E. Richters, and K.E. Gribble. 2024. Intraspecific variability in maternal age effects on offspring lifespan and fecundity. Ecology and Evolution In press.
- McMaken, C.M. And K.E. Gribble. 2024. A user-friendly, free, and open-source software protocol to quantify swimming speed and behavior of microfauna. BioTechniques Epub ahead of print https://doi.org/10.2144/btn-2024-0001.
- Feng, H., G. Bavister, K.E. Gribble, and D.B. Mark Welch. 2023. Development of highly efficient CRISPR-mediated gene editing in the rotifer Brachionus manjavacas. PLoS Biology 21(7): e3001888.
April 2023: We are hiring! A Postdoctoral Scientist position is available to investigate the epigenetic mechanisms of maternal age effects, as part of our projects supported by an NSF CAREER Award. To apply: https://jobrxiv.org/job/marine-biological-laboratory-27778-postdoctoral-scientist-epigenetics-of-maternal-age-effects/
June 2022: The lab has received its first R01 from the NIA! We are excited to continue our work on the role of mitochondrial function and dynamics in maternal age effects on offspring health and lifespan.
April 2022: Just published: van Daalen, S.F., C.M. Hérnandez, H. Caswell, M.G. Neubert, K.E. Gribble. 2022. The contribution of maternal age heterogeneity to variance in lifetime reproductive output. The American Naturalist 199(5):603-616.
February 2022: Aksel Jensen was awarded 1st place at the FHS Science Fair and 2nd place at the Region V Science fair for his project, Toxicity of Road Runoff Entering the Waquoit Bay Estuarine System.
January 2022: Aksel Jensen joined the lab as a Website Designer. Welcome Aksel!
January 2022: Kate Allcock joined the lab as a Research Assistant. Welcome Kate!
We are a part of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), a research institution dedicated to scientific discovery – exploring fundamental biology, understanding biodiversity and the environment.
Gribble Lab 