My areas of interest are the biology of algae and their natural products chemistry. I am an interdisciplinary scientist that integrates molecular biology, omics, synthetic biology, biochemistry, and analytical chemistry to evaluate the mechanisms of secondary metabolism, abiotic/biotic factors that elicit the production of bioactive compounds, and how these molecules (often structurally-complex) have evolved among and within species. Natural products from microalgae, i.e., alkaloids, polyketides, and non-ribosomal peptides, are broadly characterized as “toxins”, and hundreds of molecules are predicted from microalgae with roles in environmental signaling and allelopathy. However, very few metabolites have been elucidated, leaving immense opportunities for the discovery of novel bioactive compounds.

Related research exploits the biochemical diversity of microalgae for the production of materials, fuels, feedstocks, and specialty chemicals. Compounds from microalgae also have potential applications in therapeutics and pharmaceuticals owing to their targeted affinities and modes of action (e.g., hepatotoxins, neurotoxins, anti-bacterial, anti-viral). The UTEX Culture Collection is the largest living collection of microalgae in the world, containing >3000 strains and more genetic and biochemical diversity than all the zoos and botanical gardens in the world, combined. As such, the UTEX Collection at UT-Austin provides an unparalleled resource to advance microalgae for basic research and applications in biotechnology.

Funded projects include assisting with the scale-up of a 360,000-L algal cultivation facility in Indonesia, biomass-to-biofuels and feedstock production with the D.O.E.-funded Marine AlGae Industrialization Consortium (MAGIC), the evaluation of feedstocks from microalgae isolated in Qatar, and the development of diatom nanomaterials with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

Current student and postdoctoral projects include:

Sabir* J, Theriot* E, Manning SR, Al-Malki AL, Khiyami MA, Al-Ghamdi AK, Sabir MJ, Romanovicz D, Hajrah NH, El-Omri A, Jansen RK, Ashworth M, In press, 2018. Phylogenetic analysis and a brief review of the history of Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin (Bacillariophyta): an accidental tourist among model plankton diatoms. PlosOne

Saadaoui I, Rasheed R, Aguilar A, Manning SR. In review, 2018. Microalgal biomass as an alternative food source for livestock and feed supplements in Qatar: a review. Algal Research

Mohammady NGE, El- Khatib KM, El-Galad MI, El-Enin SAA, Attia NK, El-Araby R, El-Diwani G, Manning SR. In review, 2018. An assessment of pilot-scale cultures of Nannochloropsis sp. for the production of biochemicals and biodiesel in Egypt. Biomass and Bioenergy

Talarski AE, Manning SR, La Claire JW. 2016.  Transcriptome analysis of the euryhaline alga, Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta): effects of salinity on differential gene expression.  Phycologia 55 (1), 33-44.

La Claire JW, Manning SR, Talarski AE. 2015. Semi-quantitative assay for polyketide prymnesins isolated from Prymnesium parvum (Haptophyta) cultures. Toxicon 102 (2015), 74-80.

Manning SR, La Claire JW. 2013. Isolation of polyketide toxins from Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta) and their detection by LC/MS metabolic fingerprint analysis. Anal Biochem 442 (2), 189-195.

Jones J, Manning SR, Montoya M, Keller K, Poenie M. 2012.  Extraction of algal lipids and their analysis by HPLC and mass spectrometry. J Am Oil Chem Soc 89 (8), 1371-1381.

Manning SR. 2010.  Molecular and phytochemical investigations of the harmful, bloom-forming alga, Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta) [PhD Dissertation].  The University of Texas at Austin.

Manning SR, La Claire JW. 2010. Multiplex PCR methods for the species-specific detection and quantification of Prymnesium parvum (Haptophyta). J Appl Phycology 22 (1), 587-597.

Manning SR.  2006.  Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for the rapid, sensitive and species-specific detection of the harmful alga, Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta) [MA Thesis].  The University of Texas at Austin.

Invited Manuscripts

Manning SR, Subramanya S, Fletcher L. In prep, 2018. Algae Biotechnology: a laboratory manual. Algae Technology Educational Consortium, a U.S. D.O.E.-funded project.

Manning SR, Nobles DR. 2017. Impact of global warming on water toxicity: cyanotoxins. Current Opinions in Food Science 18, 14-20.

Manning SR, La Claire JW. 2010. Prymnesins: toxic metabolites of the golden alga, Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta). Mar Drugs 8 (3), 678-704.

Invited Book Chapters

Nobles DR, Manning SR.  In press, 2018.  Extraction and Characterization of Lipids from Macroalgae, In: Methods in Molecular Biology, (Ed., V. Balan), Springer Publishing, U.S.

Roelke D, Manning SR. In press, 2018. Prymnesium parvum, In: Harmful Blooms, a compendium desk reference, (Ed., S.E. Shumway), Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, U.S. ISBN: 978-1-118-99465-8, 704 pages.

La Claire JW, Manning SR. 2015. Ichthyotoxins, In: Phycotoxins: Chemistry and Biochemistry, 2nd edition (Eds. L. Botana and A. Alfonso), Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, U.S. ISBN: 978-1-118-50036-1, 552 pages.

Oral Presentations

Feb 2018. Invited Speaker / Panel Moderator – Biofuels: Promising Alternative or a Broken Promise? UT Energy Week 2018 held at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

Jun 2017. Invited Speaker / Session Panelist. Research and Career Mentorship. Presented at the Gordon Research Seminar on Mycotoxins and Phycotoxins held at Stonehill College, Easton, Massachusetts.

Jun 2017. Invited Speaker / Session Chair – Algae for the 21^st Century: overview of the D.O.E.-sponsored ATP³ and ATEC programs. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Phycological Society of America held at the Hilton Monterey Bay Seaside, Monterey, California.

Jun 2017. Invited Talk – Shahbazi P, Manning SR, Production of Sulfated Polysaccharides from 6 Strains of Porphyridium (Rhodophyta): preliminary analysis of yields and bioactivity. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Phycological Society of America held at the Hilton Monterey Bay Seaside, Monterey, California.

Jun 2017. Invited Talk – Sabir J, Obaid A, Al-Malki A, Khiyami M, Ashworth M, Manning SR, Nobles D, Hajrah N, Sabir M, Mattar E, Bouback T, Jansen R, Theriot E, Gomphonemopsis Medlin, Possible Sister Group to the Model Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Phycological Society of America held at the Hilton Monterey Bay Seaside, Monterey, California.

Feb 2017. Invited Speaker / Session Panelist – Microalgae for Fuels, Feedstocks, and Specialty Chemicals; The Energy Frontier: How to invest in future resources? Presented at the UT Energy Week 2017 held at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

Jul 2016. Invited Speaker / Session Chair – Natural Products from Microalgae. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Phycological Society of America held at John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio.

May 2016. Microalgae: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Presented at the Plant Biology Program Seminar, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

Mar 2016. Invited Speaker – Prymnesium parvum: Killer Algae in the Southwest. Presented for the American Society of Microbiology at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas.

Aug 2015. Invited Speaker – Improving Metrics for the Algae Industry. Presented at the NSF Annual Subject Matter Expert’s Meeting for the Industrial Biotechnology Technical Workforce held at MiraCosta College, Oceanside, California.

Aug 2015. Invited Speaker / Session Chair – Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Bioremediation. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Phycological Society of America held at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jul 2015. Microalgae: Green Machines. Presented to the Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

Jun 2015. Invited Speaker – Polyketide Prymnesins: A Tale of Two Toxins. Presented at the Gordon Research Conference on Mycotoxins and Phycotoxins held at Stonehill College, Easton, Massachusetts.

Mar 2015. Invited Speaker – Microalgae with Commercial Potential. Presented by Teleconference to the Departments of Hydraulic Process Engineering and Biotechnology at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Iztapalapa, Mexico.

May 2014. Invited Speaker / Session Chair – Large-Scale Cultivation of Microalgae with Commercial Potential: Principles and Processes. Presented at the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting held at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon.

Oct 2013. Invited Speaker – Managing Microalgal Cultures at the Pilot Scale. Presented at the 7^th Algae Biomass Summit held at the Hilton, Orlando, Florida.

Sep 2013. Invited Speaker – Large-Scale Cultivation of Microalgae for Biofuels and High-Value Natural Products. Presented to the Department of Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Aug 2013. Invited Speaker / Session Chair – Managing Microalgal Cultures for Practical Applications. Presented at the International Phycological Congress held at the Renaissance, Orlando, Florida.

Nov 2012. Large-Scale Cultivation of Microalgae for Bioproducts. Presented at the Plant Biology Program Seminar, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

Sep 2012. Invited Speaker – Algae: Biofuels and Beyond. Presented at the Besch Biological Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series, Concordia University, Austin, Texas.

Jul 2011.  Invited Speaker – Algal Natural Products: Toxins, Biofuels and Beyond. Presented at Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington.

Jul 2011. Invited Speaker – Phytochemical Analyses of Toxic Polyketide Metabolites from Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta).  Presented for the Bold Session at the Annual Meeting of the Phycological Society of America held at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.

Feb 2010. Invited Speaker – Phytochemical Studies of the Toxic Bloom-Forming Alga, Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta).  Presented at the Annual Golden Algae Taskforce Symposium, Baylor University, Waco, Texas.

Dec 2005. Multiplex PCR Methods for the Species-Specific Detection of the Harmful Bloom-Forming Alga, Prymnesium parvum (Haptophyta).  Presented for Topics in Natural Products Chemistry, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

Sep 2005. The Secondary Metabolism of Prymnesins from the Harmful Alga, Prymnesium parvum (Haptophyta).  Presented for Topics in Natural Products Chemistry, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

Dec 2003. Noxious Algae: The Ecology of Harmful Algal Blooms. Presented for Topics in Natural Products Chemistry, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

Poster Presentations

Jun 2017. Manning SR, Talarski AE, La Claire JW. Omics-based toolkit for the prediction, detection, and quantification of the golden alga, Prymnesium parvum (Haptophyta) and its toxic metabolites, prymnesins. Poster presented at the Gordon Research Seminar and Gordon Research Conference on Mycotoxins and Phycotoxins at Stonehill College, Easton, Massachusetts.

Dec 2014. Itsygin S, Manning SR, Krasnyy D. Handheld Photometer for Rapid Monitoring of Algal Biomass. Poster presented at the Pacific Rim Summit, San Diego, California.

Oct 2014. Dempster T, Sommerfeld M, Manning SR, Brand J. Algae Testbed Public Private Partnership (ATP³): Education and Training Workshops Offer Extensive Hands-On Learning Opportunities. Poster presented at the 8^th Algae Biomass Summit held at the Marriot Marina, San Diego, California.

Oct 2014. Jochum MD, Empel L, Jo Y-K, Manning SR, Brand J. Microalgal Derived Biofertilizers for Organic Rice Cultivation. Poster presented at the 8^th Algae Biomass Summit held at the Marriot Marina, San Diego, California.

Oct 2014. Itsygin S, Manning SR, Krasnyy D. Handheld Photometer for Rapid Monitoring of Algal Biomass. Poster presented at the 8^th Algae Biomass Summit held at the Marriot Marina, San Diego, California.

Sep 2012. Manning SR, Jochum MD, Morris H, Brand JJ. Integrated Cultivation System for Improved Microalgal Production Optimizing Water and Nutrient Efficiency. Poster presented at the 6^th Algae Biomass Summit held at the Hilton, Denver, Colorado.

Sep 2012. Manning SR, Jones JN, Kipp P, Poenie M. Separation Anxiety: HPLC/MS for the Identification and Quantitation of Algal Lipids. Poster presented at the 6^th Algae Biomass Summit held at the Hilton, Denver, Colorado.

May 2012. Yang SH, Wang EH, Manning SR, La Claire JW, Schug KA. Quantitative and Qualitative Characterization of Prymnesin Toxins from Golden Algae (Prymnesium parvum) through Multi-Dimensional Ion Fragmentation and Degradation. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mass Spectrometry held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Oct 2011. Manning SR, Jones JN, Poenie M. Characterization and Quantitation of Algal Lipids using HPLC-ELS/MS: Additional Analyses of Algal Hydrocarbons by GC/MS and NMR. Poster presented at the 5^th Algae Biomass Summit held at the Hilton, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Jan 2009. Manning SR, La Claire JW. Multiplex PCR Assays for the Species-Specific Detection and Quantification of Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta) in Natural Bloom Samples. Poster presented at the International Golden Algae Symposium: Fisheries and harmful algae, can they co-exist? Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Fort Worth, Texas.

Jul 2008. Manning SR, La Claire JW. Development of Species-Specific, Multiplex PCR Assays for the Detection and Quantification of Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta) in Natural Samples.  Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Phycological Society of America, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Aug 2005. Manning SR, La Claire JW. A Multiplex PCR Method for the Species-Specific Detection and Quantification of the Harmful Alga, Prymnesium parvum (Haptophyta).  Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Botanical Society of America, Austin, Texas.

Oct 2005. La Claire JW, Manning SR, Herrin DL.  Genome Analysis and DNA-Based Assays for the Harmful Bloom-Forming Alga, Prymnesium parvum.  Poster presented at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Golden Algae Symposium, Austin, Texas.

Oct 2003. Manning SR, Calabria LM, Herrin DL, La Claire JW, Mabry T.  Noxious Algae: golden tide in Texas waterways.  Poster presented at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Golden Algae Symposium, Fort Worth, Texas.

Graduate Student Advisor* / Committee Member

Garima Saxena, Ph.D.-seeking student, Univ. of North Texas (co-advisor: Richard Dixon)     (2012 – )

Sarah Ruffell, Ph.D.-seeking student, University of Waterloo (advisor: Kirsten Mueller)     (2015 – )

*Chase Rakowski, Ph.D.-seeking student, EEB, UT-Austin (co-advisor: Ed Theriot)     (2016 – )

*Tatiana Gamez, Masters-seeking student, Texas State (co-advisor: Weston Nowlin)     (2016 – 2018)

*Tahmineh Rouzbahani, Ph.D.-seeking student, PB, UT-Austin (co-advisor: Ed Theriot)     (2016 – )

*Zac Wentzell, Ph.D.-seeking student, PB, UT-Austin (co-advisor: Ed Theriot)     (starting fall 2018 – )

Graduate Interns

Sara Debray, Master’s seeking student, Universite des Antilles (Advisor: Alain Pietrus)     2018 –

Research Associates

Matt Ashworth, Ph.D. Plant Biology (2017 – )

Research Fellows

Pedram Shahbazi, Ph.D. Microbiology (2016 – )

Postdoctoral Fellows

Katherine Perri, Ph.D. Environmental Chemistry (2017 – )

Research Affiliates

Tinisha Hancock, Ph.D. Plant Biology (2017 – )

Alpaslan Atmanli, Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering (2015 – 2016)

Maryam Shafiekhani, M.S. Chemical Engineering, (2014 – 2016)

Dharmika S. Pathiratne Lansakara-P, Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, (2014 – 2016) 

Visiting Researchers / Research Volunteers

2017 – 2018: Xiaonan Lou, Marwa Aly, Max Silvers

2016 – 2017: Xiaonan Lou, Marwa Aly

2015 – 2016: Tatiana Gamez, Hugh Morris, Katon Morris, Koby Morris

2014 – 2015: Michael Jochum, Ankith Sripathi, Parth Patel, Pradeep Maddri

2012 – 2015: Hugh Morris, Michael Jochum, Koby Morris, Katon Morris

2010 – 2011: Priva Ramamoorthy, Kavya Ramamoorthy

Undergraduate Researchers

2017 – 2018: Megan Fitch (EVS Capstone), Aditi Busgeeth (EVS Capstone), Karlin Havlak, Hosei Nakajima, Jian Gao, Celeste Richards, Michael Fernandes, Ethan Freeburg, et al. (Students for a Sustainable Campus, Green Fee Biodiesel Team)

2016 – 2017: Chan Me “Julie” Choi, Shelby Dobbs, Megan Fitch (EVS Capstone), Melody Boone (TIPS Scholar), Jian Gao, Celeste Richards, Michael Fernandes, Ethan Freeburg, et al. (Students for a Sustainable Campus, Green Fee Biodiesel Team), Prashant Ranganath et al. (FRI - algae for carbohydrates), Priya Ramamoorthy et al. (FRI - algae for lipid production)

2015 – 2016:  Chan Me “Julie” Choi, Ricardo Noyola Lozano, Wali Yaqubi

2014 – 2015:  Andrew Cho, Madison Becker, Ali Yaqubi, Taylor Davidson, Daniel Shipley

2013 – 2014:  Andrew Cho, Madison Becker, Ali Yaqubi, Mark Lopez, Shelby Dobbs

2012 – 2013:  Han Lee, Eric Jones, Nick Reyna

2011 – 2012:  Han Lee, Eric Jones, Nick Reyna, Kim Tran

2010 – 2011:  Han Lee, Eric Jones, Nick Reyna, Kim Tran

2006 – 2009: Molly O’Neil, Grant Barry, Michael Nguyen, Seong Joon Kang, Jin Lee Park, Joseph Lin, Rudy Yin, Donnie Chou, Doan Bui, Nara Shin, Bao Nguyen, Stephanie Gaudet, Mia Garrison, Rahellah Shah, Samira Saleh, and May Chou