Katherine R. M. Mackey
Biography
Katherine R. M. Mackey, Ph.D., is Clare Boothe Luce Associate Professor in the Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine. Mackey received her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University in 2010, where she was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and a Department of Energy Global Change Education Program Graduate Research Fellowship. Following her doctorate, she held postdoctoral positions at UC Santa Cruz and the Carnegie Institution for Science, and later at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory as a National Science Foundation Biology Postdoctoral Research Fellow.
Mackey's research focuses on marine biogeochemistry and phytoplankton biogeography, examining how these microscopic organisms respond to environmental changes including nutrient availability, light, temperature, and atmospheric deposition. Her work spans coastal and open ocean systems, investigating how photosynthetic adaptations influence the distribution and ecological function of marine cyanobacteria such as Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus. She has published extensively on topics including the effects of atmospheric aerosol deposition on marine productivity, phytoplankton responses to ocean acidification and climate change, and the role of trace metals in shaping marine microbial communities.
Mackey has received recognition including the AAAS Marion Milligan Mason Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences (2015), an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship in Ocean Sciences (2017), and designation as a Simons Foundation Early Career Investigator in Marine Microbial Ecology and Evolution (2018). She was selected as a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in 2015, 2019, and 2024. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Simons Foundation, and other agencies. She has mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom have gone on to doctoral programs and careers in science.
Return to topEducation
- PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, 2010
- MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, 2004
- BS in Plant Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, 2002
- BS in Biological Resource Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, 2002
Distinctions
- Korean-American Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019, 2024
- Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, 2015
- AAAS Marion Milligan Mason Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences, 2015
- National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology, 2011-2014
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2003-2006
- Simons Foundation Early Career Investigator in Marine Microbial Ecology and Evolution, 2018
- Arthur P Sloan Foundation Fellowship in Ocean Sciences, 2017
- Department of Energy Global Change Education Program Graduate Research Fellowship, 2006-2010
- Clare Boothe Luce Endowed Professorship, 2014-2022
Areas of Expertise
- Marine Biogeochemistry
- Phytoplankton Photosynthetic Adaptations
- Atmospheric Nutrient Deposition
- Iron Limitation Responses
- Copper Toxicity Thresholds
- Chromatic Acclimation Mechanisms
- Shipping Emission Impacts
Recent Publications
- Basu, S., Mackey, K.R., “Effect of Rising Temperature and Carbon Dioxide on the Growth, Photophysiology, and Elemental Ratios of Marine Synechococcus: A Multistressor Approach” (opens in new tab), Sustainability Switzerland, vol. 14, no. 15, pp. 9508, 2022.
- Lovindeer, R., Abbott, L., Medina, H., Mackey, K.R., “Costs and limitations of marine Synechococcus blue-green chromatic acclimation” (opens in new tab), Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 8, pp. 689998, 2021.
- Lovindeer, R., Ustick, L.J., Primeau, F., Martiny, A.C., Mackey, K.R.M., “Modeling Ocean Color Niche Selection by Synechococcus Blue-Green Acclimaters” (opens in new tab), Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, vol. 126, no. 10, pp. e2021JC017434, 2021.
- Mackey, KRM, Stragier, S., Robledo, L., Cat, L., Xu, X., Capps, S., Treseder, K., Czimczik, C., “Seasonal variation in Southern California aerosol composition is driven by local climate variability”, Atmospheric Environment, vol. 244, pp. 117795, 2021.
- Mackey K.R.M., Stragier S., Robledo L., Cat L.A., Xu X., Capps S., Treseder K.K., Czimczik C.I., Faiola C., “Seasonal variation of aerosol composition in Orange County, Southern California” (opens in new tab), Atmospheric Environment, vol. 244, 2021.
Most Cited Publications
- A Paytan, KRM Mackey, Y Chen, ID Lima, SC Doney, N Mahowald, R Labiosa, AF Post, “Toxicity of atmospheric aerosols on marine phytoplankton” (opens in new tab), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 106, pp. 4601-4605, 2009.
- Basu, S, Mackey, KRM, “Phytoplankton as key mediators of the biological carbon pump: their responses to a changing climate” (opens in new tab), Sustainability Switzerland, vol. 10, pp. 869, 2018.
- KRM Mackey, A Paytan, K Caldiera, A Grossman, D Moran, M McIlvin, M Saito, “Effect of temperature on photosynthesis and growth in marine Synechococcus” (opens in new tab), Plant Physiology, vol. 163, pp. 815-829, 2013.
- Mackey, KRM, Morris, JJ, Morel, FMM, Kranz, SA, “Response of photosynthesis to ocean acidification” (opens in new tab), Oceanography, vol. 28, pp. 74-91, 2015.
- Chien, C-T, Mackey, KRM, Dutkiewicz, S., Mahowald, NM, Prospero, JM, Paytan, A., “Effects of atmospheric deposition on phytoplankton downwind of the Sahara Dust plume in the Western Tropical Atlantic Ocean off Barbados” (opens in new tab), Global Biogeochemical Cycles, vol. 30, pp. 716-734, 2016.
- Lecher, A, Mackey, KRM, “Synthesis of the effects of submarine groundwater discharge on marine biota” (opens in new tab), Hydrology, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 60, 2018.
- KRM Mackey, A Paytan, A Grossman, S Bailey, “A photosynthetic strategy for coping in a high light, low nutrient environment” (opens in new tab), Limnology and Oceanography, vol. 53, pp. 900-913, 2008.
- AL Lecher, KRM Mackey, J Murray, R Kudela, J Ryan, A Fisher, A Paytan, “Nutrient loading through submarine groundwater discharge and phytoplankton growth in Monterey Bay, CA” (opens in new tab), Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 49, pp. 6665-6673, 2015.
- KRM Mackey, RG Labiosa, M Calhoun, J Street, AF Post, A Paytan, “Phosphorus availability, phytoplankton community dynamics, and taxon-specific phosphorus status in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea” (opens in new tab), Limnology and Oceanography, vol. 52, pp. 873-885, 2007.
- Rafter, PA, Sigman, DA, Mackey, KRM, “Recycled iron fuels new production in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean” (opens in new tab), Nature Communications, vol. 8, pp. 1100, 2017.
Contact Information
Email: kmackey@uci.edu
Phone: 949.824.1133
Address: 3088 Samueli Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering
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Last updated on 6/4/2026.