World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
75
Citations
21295
World Ranking
5292
National Ranking
2513

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2014 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 2012 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 2009 - Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

Overview

Margaret J. McFall-Ngai is affiliated with the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology with particular attention to Ecology, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Endocrinology, and Immunology.

The main topics of their work include:

  • Cephalopods and Marine Biology
  • Vibrio bacteria research studies
  • Gut microbiota and health
  • Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
  • Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
  • Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
  • Aquaculture disease management and microbiota

Recent significant publications authored or co-authored by McFall-Ngai include:

  • "A lasting symbiosis: how the Hawaiian bobtail squid finds and keeps its bioluminescent bacterial partner," 2021, Nature Reviews Microbiology
  • "The hygiene hypothesis, the COVID pandemic, and consequences for the human microbiome," 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • "The noncoding small RNA SsrA is released by Vibrio fischeri and modulates critical host responses," 2020, PLoS Biology
  • "High-contrast, synchronous volumetric imaging with selective volume illumination microscopy," 2020, Communications Biology
  • "Interactions of Symbiotic Partners Drive the Development of a Complex Biogeography in the Squid-Vibrio Symbiosis," 2020, mBio

Frequent co-authors in their collaborative work comprise Edward G. Ruby, William E. Goldman, Silvia Moriano-Gutierrez, Thomas C. G. Bosch, and Clotilde Bongrand.

Major publication venues where McFall-Ngai has contributed multiple works include UNC Libraries, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Communications Biology, bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), and mBio.

Throughout their career, McFall-Ngai has been recognized with several distinctions:

  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2014)
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2012)
  • Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (2009)

Best Publications

  • Animals in a bacterial world, a new imperative for the life sciences

    Margaret McFall-Ngai;Michael G. Hadfield;Thomas C. G. Bosch;Hannah V. Carey

  • An ecological and evolutionary perspective on human–microbe mutualism and disease

    Les Dethlefsen;Margaret McFall-Ngai;David A. Relman;David A. Relman

  • The winnowing: establishing the squid–vibrio symbiosis

    Spencer V Nyholm;Margaret J McFall-Ngai

  • Vibrio fischeri lux Genes Play an Important Role in Colonization and Development of the Host Light Organ

    Karen L. Visick;Jamie Foster;Judith Doino;Margaret McFall-Ngai

  • Adaptive immunity: care for the community.

    Margaret McFall-Ngai

  • Microbial factor-mediated development in a host-bacterial mutualism.

    Tanya A. Koropatnick;Jacquelyn T. Engle;Michael A. Apicella;Eric V. Stabb

  • Symbiont recognition and subsequent morphogenesis as early events in an animal-bacterial mutualism

    Margaret J. McFall-Ngai;Edward G. Ruby

  • Metaorganisms as the new frontier.

    Thomas C.G. Bosch;Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

  • Establishment of an animal–bacterial association: Recruiting symbiotic vibrios from the environment

    Spencer V. Nyholm;Eric V. Stabb;Edward G. Ruby;Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

  • Unseen forces: the influence of bacteria on animal development.

    Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

  • A unified initiative to harness Earth's microbiomes

    A. P. Alivisatos;M. J. Blaser;E. L. Brodie;M. Chun

  • The Importance of Microbes in Animal Development: Lessons from the Squid-Vibrio Symbiosis

    Margaret J McFall-Ngai

  • Reflectins: The Unusual Proteins of Squid Reflective Tissues

    Wendy J. Crookes;Wendy J. Crookes;Lin-Lin Ding;Lin-Lin Ding;Qing Ling Huang;Qing Ling Huang;Jennifer R. Kimbell;Jennifer R. Kimbell

  • An Exclusive Contract: Specificity in the Vibrio fischeri-Euprymna scolopes Partnership

    Karen L. Visick;Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

  • NO means 'yes' in the squid-vibrio symbiosis: nitric oxide (NO) during the initial stages of a beneficial association.

    Seana K. Davidson;Tanya A. Koropatnick;Renate Kossmehl;Laura Sycuro

  • Bacterial symbionts induce host organ morphogenesis during early postembryonic development of the squid Euprymna scolopes

    Mary Montgomery;M McFall-Ngai

  • Divining the essence of symbiosis: insights from the squid-vibrio model.

    Margaret McFall-Ngai

  • Evolution, human-microbe interactions, and life history plasticity

    Graham Rook;Fredrik Bäckhed;Bruce R Levin;Margaret J McFall-Ngai

  • Opinion: Why science needs philosophy

    Lucie Laplane;Lucie Laplane;Paolo Mantovani;Ralph Adolphs;Hasok Chang

  • Competitive Dominance among Strains of Luminous Bacteria Provides an Unusual Form of Evidence for Parallel Evolution in Sepiolid Squid-Vibrio Symbioses

    Michele K. Nishiguchi;Edward G. Ruby;Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

Frequent Co-Authors

Edward G. Ruby
Edward G. Ruby University of Hawaii at Manoa
William E. Goldman
William E. Goldman University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Michael A. Apicella
Michael A. Apicella University of Iowa
Joseph Horwitz
Joseph Horwitz University of California, Los Angeles
Bradford W. Gibson
Bradford W. Gibson Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Virginia M. Weis
Virginia M. Weis Oregon State University
John O. Dabiri
John O. Dabiri California Institute of Technology
Arturo Casadevall
Arturo Casadevall Johns Hopkins University
Todd E. Scheetz
Todd E. Scheetz University of Iowa

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Studying Biology and Biochemistry in the USA opens the door to a variety of careers in healthcare, research, and technology. Many graduates explore roles in medical coding, health information management, or laboratory analysis.

If you're interested in behind-the-scenes healthcare work, becoming a certified medical coder or biller may be appealing. Understanding the ccs certification can help you decide between different certification paths, their requirements, and potential earnings.

Those curious about salary expectations can find more details about medical coding jobs salary, including the factors that influence pay and the types of opportunities available to new graduates.

Is this field right for you? Get honest insights into the daily experiences, work-life balance, and upward mobility by reading is medical coding a good job.

For those aiming for leadership or advanced technical positions, pursuing a bachelor's degree health information management online offers flexibility and a pathway to higher earning potential within the healthcare industry.

Best Scientists Citing Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles