Dr. Norma Morella has studied a remarkable range of environments. She has researched the innards of deep-sea leeches and examined the air-exposed surfaces of tomato plants. She has explored the depths of human intestines, and currently, she studies the surfaces of crop roots. Despite the apparent differences in these research settings, a unifying element unites Morella’s work: the symbiotic relationship between organisms and their microbial communities. Through her studies, Morella has shed light on how these microscopic partnerships function across different environments — from the depths of the ocean to our own bodies, and onto the fields that feed us.
Morella discovered her interest in microbiology as an undergraduate student at Occidental College. Having grown up in Oregon surrounded by animals and outdoor adventures, Morella knew she wanted to focus her studies on biology and the natural world. It was in a course called “Symbiosis” that she learned about the mutually beneficial relationships between microbes and larger life forms. Learning about the critical roles that microbes play in the health and survival of organisms and entire ecosystems sparked her passion for microbiology. She took every microbiology course she could and joined the lab of Dr. Shana Goffredi, where she studied how the microbes that may help deep-sea leeches digest blood transfer from one leech to another.
Eager to pursue a career in microbiology, Morella applied to graduate programs during her undergraduate studies. However, a lack of full-time research experience hindered her applications, leading to disappointment when she was not accepted into her chosen programs. Unwavering in her determination, Morella secured a position as a lab manager at Georgetown University’s Department of Human Science. This role introduced her to the field of human-health-related microbiology and expanded her understanding of microbiology’s vast potential in the health sciences. Armed with this invaluable experience, Morella successfully reapplied to graduate school. With her enriched resume and clear dedication, Morella was accepted to UC Berkeley’s Plant and Microbial Biology Department and returned to the west coast for her graduate studies.
At Berkeley, Morella joined Dr. Britt Koskella’s lab, focusing on the ecology of microbial communities found on the leaves and stems of tomato plants. The lab was interested in the forces shaping microbial community composition in this environment, and how the resulting community composition affected plant fitness. This field of microbial ecology research is based on the understanding that different microbial community compositions can have dramatic effects on plant fitness and behavior. For example, some bacterial community compositions on plants have been shown to improve a plant’s resistance to drought, while others have been shown to make a plant more resistant to infectious diseases. Morella was interested in understanding how interactions between the plant and the bacteria, interactions between the bacteria themselves, and interactions between phage and bacteria influence the microbial community composition. She used next-generation sequencing to study these interactions throughout her graduate career.
After completing her Ph.D., Morella was drawn to the emerging field of human gut microbiome research due to its significant potential to advance human health. With a solid foundation in wet lab techniques, bioinformatics, and bacteriophage research, she was well prepared for a shift into this new area of study. Eager to apply her expertise closer to her family, Morella targeted the Pacific Northwest when searching for postdoctoral research opportunities. Her search brought her to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Fred Hutch) to work in the lab of Dr. Neelendu Dey, where researchers were interested in developing gut microbiome-based strategies for preventing and treating cancer. Morella knew the Dey lab would provide an opportunity to explore and contribute to groundbreaking research at the intersection of gut microbiome and cancer studies. She secured an invitation to join Dr. Dey’s lab as a postdoctoral researcher.
When searching for funding opportunities to support her postdoctoral studies, she found Washington Research Foundation (WRF) and its Postdoctoral Fellowship program. Morella’s first application for the WRF Postdoctoral Fellowship resulted in an interview but no fellowship offer. Undeterred, she continued preparing for her forthcoming postdoctoral position, reading about colorectal cancer and clarifying her plan for how she would apply her phage expertise in the Dey lab. With a deeper understanding of her research field and a clearer vision for her proposed research project, Morella reapplied for the WRF Postdoctoral Fellowship the following year. This time, her application was successful and she joined the WRF Postdoctoral Fellows cohort of 2020.
Morella’s postdoctoral research aimed to further the field of phage-based microbiome manipulation therapies. Under the guidance of Dr. Dey, Morella found an excellent opportunity to apply her expertise in phage biology. She led a pioneering project aimed at identifying bacteriophages capable of targeting and eliminating bacteria that produce carcinogenic bile acids. The goal was to use the phages to selectively eliminate the bacteria responsible for carcinogen production, thereby lowering the risk of cancer development. Throughout her postdoctoral tenure, Morella made significant strides towards this goal, successfully isolating bacteriophages that targeted these carcinogen-producing bacteria and demonstrating the efficacy of these phages in clearing the targeted bacteria from the mouse microbiome. In the time since Morella finished her postdoctoral studies, researchers in the Dey lab have continued studying this phage-based therapy with the goal of eventually bringing the therapy to human trials.
During her postdoctoral fellowship, Morella actively engaged with the WRF community and the wider Seattle scientific community. Her interaction with the WRF went beyond receiving financial support; it was a gateway to a network of peers and opportunities for collaboration. Notably, Morella connected with Dr. Cameron Glasscock from the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design, who assisted her in the protein prediction work involved with her bacteriophage project. This collaboration was not just a technical boon, but also a testament to the collaborative spirit fostered by WRF. Morella’s engagement with the Seattle science ecosystem was amplified through her involvement with SoundBio Lab, a local science makerspace and nonprofit organization. Introduced to the organization by fellow WRF postdoc Dr. Martha Zepeda Rivera of Fred Hutch’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Morella’s involvement on the SoundBio board allowed her to contribute to initiatives such as biotech career panels and educational outreach programs. Her efforts underscored a deep-seated commitment to nurturing community and promoting the accessibility of science.
After completing her postdoctoral studies, Morella was drawn to industry for its potential to translate research into concrete and impactful solutions. She joined Pivot Bio, a leading company in the agri-tech sector focused on enhancing sustainable farming practices. At Pivot Bio, she works on developing nitrogen-fixing bacteria that, when applied to crop roots, significantly reduce the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. Her responsibilities in research and development bridge the gap between promising microbial candidates and their development into products ready for commercial use, drawing upon her extensive background in microbiology and bioinformatics. While her postdoctoral work aimed at identifying strategies for reducing the risk of colorectal cancer might appear vastly different from her current work on agricultural microbes, both areas benefit from Morella’s extensive expertise in experimental design and data analysis, underpinned by a fundamental interest in microbial symbiosis.
Reflecting on the role the WRF Postdoctoral Fellowship played in her career development, Morella expresses deep gratitude. “When I got the WRF fellowship, it allowed me to move back to a place in the country where I wanted to live. It was important to me for my personal life to be close to my family members. And it truly set me on the career trajectory I wanted to be on.” In appreciation of the opportunities the fellowship provided, Morella currently serves as a member of the WRF Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Committee. “To give back and be a part of selecting the next cohorts of fellows is really exciting. And there’s just so much cool science! It’s just amazing to see the proposed projects, along with the talent and the ideas and the passion in these researchers at all different research institutions in Washington.”
The WRF Postdoctoral Fellowship program supports promising early-career postdoctoral scientists like Morella conducting transformative research in Washington state. Echoing the principles of collaboration and mutual support that underpin Morella’s work in microbial symbiosis, the WRF fellowship cultivates its own symbiotic ecosystem. Within this community, a combination of these foundational values and the financial backing from WRF collectively fosters the growth and success of its members.
The application period for WRF Postdoctoral Fellowships typically opens in May of each year. More information about program can be found here.
Story by Sophia Jannetty