Nicholas J. Shikuma

This paper introduces ReefTiles, a non-living bacterial coating that induces larval settlement in tubeworms and corals, matching live biofilms in effectiveness while avoiding environmental concerns.

The paper develops a modular plasmid toolkit for genetic manipulation of marine bacteria, demonstrating its use in studying host-microbe interactions and metamorphosis stimulation.

This paper develops a unified staging scheme for the marine tubeworm Hydroides elegans to standardize its life cycle description and connect molecular changes with morphology.