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Education

Ph.D. 1985 - University of California at San Diego, Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, Marine Biology
B.A. 1979 - University of California at San Diego, Biology and Studies in Chemical Ecology

Research Interests

Ecological Roles of Marine Natural Products

Temporal and Spatial Variability of Benthic Cyanobacteria (Lyngbya spp.) in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida and Carrie Bow Cay, Belize

Impact of Toxic Cyanobacterial Blooms (Lyngbya spp.) on Coral Reef Habitats

Settlement and Metamorphosis of Larvae of Reef-Building Corals

Professional Activities

Council member, International Society for Reef Studies, 1992-1996, Advisory Editor for journal Coral Reefs (1993-present)

Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Natural Products, 2004-2008

Elected and served as Chair, Marine Natural Products Gordon Research Conference 2000, Vice-Chair of Conference in 1998

Member, California Sea Grant Committee, 2000-2001, 2006-2007

Program Director, NIH Minority Biomedical Research Support Grant, 1990-2002, advisor and mentor for numerous undergraduate and graduate (M.S. degree) Pacific Islander students

Recent Publications

Engene, Niclas, Gunasekera, Sarath, Gerwick, William H. and Paul, Valerie J. 2013. Phylogenetic Inferences Reveal Large Extent of Novel Biodiversity in Chemically Rich Tropical Marine Cyanobacteria, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January

Wang, Rui, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2013. Seaweed extracts and unsaturated fatty acid constituents from the green alga Ulva lactuca as activators of the cytoprotective Nrf2-ARE pathway, Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 57:141-153

Krediet, C. J., Ritchie, K. B., Paul, V. J. and Teplitski, M. 2013. Coral-associated micro-organisms and their roles in promoting coral health and thwarting diseases, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280(1755):20122328-20122328

Paerl, Hans W. and Paul, Valerie J. 2012. Climate Change: Links to Global Expansion of Harmful Cyanobacteria, Water research, 46:1349-1363

Sharp, Koty H., Distel, Dan and Paul, Valerie J. 2012. Diversity and dynamics of bacterial communities in early life stages of the Caribbean coral Porites astreoides, The ISME Journal, 6(4):790-801

Morrow, Kathleen M., Ritson-Williams, Raphael, Ross, Cliff, Liles, Mark R. and Paul, Valerie J. 2012. Macroalgal Extracts Induce Bacterial Assemblage Shifts and Sublethal Tissue Stress in Caribbean Corals, PLoS ONE, 7(9):1-12

Montaser, Rana, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2012. Marine Cyanobacterial Fatty Acid Amides Acting on Cannabinoid Receptors, Chembiochem, 13(18):2676-2681

Paul, Valerie J., Kuffner, Ilsa B., Walters, Linda J., Ritson-Williams, Raphael, Beach, Kevin S. and Becerro, Mikel A. 2011. Chemically mediated interactions between macroalgae Dictyota spp. and multiple life-history stages of the coral Porites astreoides, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 426:161-170

Dobretsov, Sergey, Teplitski, Max, Bayer, Mirko, Gunasekera, Sarath, Proksch, Peter and Paul, Valerie J. 2011. Inhibition of marine biofouling by bacterial quorum sensing inhibitors, Biofouling, 27(8):893-905

Paul, Valerie J., Ritson-Williams, Raphael and Sharp, Koty. 2011. Marine chemical ecology in benthic environments, Natural Product Reports, 28:345-387

Kwan, Jason C., Meickle, Theresa, Ladwa, Dheran, Teplitski, Max, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2011. Lyngbyoic acid, a "tagged" fatty acid from a marine cyanobacterium, disrupts quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Molecular Biosystems, 7(4):1205-1216

Montaser, Rana, Abboud, Khalil A., Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2011. Pitiprolamide, a Proline-Rich Dolastatin 16 Analogue from the Marine Cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula from Guam, Journal of Natural Products, 74(1):109-112

Salvador, Lilibeth A., Biggs, Jason S., Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2011. Veraguamides A-G, Cyclic Hexadepsipeptides from a Dolastatin 16-Producing Cyanobacterium Symploca cf. hydnoides from Guam, Journal of natural products, 74(5):917-927

Fong, Peggy and Paul, Valerie J. 2011. "Coral Reef Algae". Pp. 241-272 in Coral Reefs: An Ecosystem in Transition (Dubinsky, Zvy and Stambler, Noga). Springer Science + Business Media B.V

Montaser, Rana, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2011. Pitipeptolides C-F, antimycobacterial cyclodepsipeptides from the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula from Guam, Phytochemistry, 72(16):2068-2074

Morrow, K. M., Paul, Valerie J., Liles, M. R. and Chadwick, N. E. 2011. Allelochemicals produced by Caribbean macroalgae and cyanobacteria have species-specific effects on reef coral microorganisms, Coral Reefs, 30(2):309-320

Gunasekera, Sarath P., Owle, Chivas S., Montaser, Rana, Luesch, Hendrik and Paul, Valerie J. 2011. Malyngamide 3 and cocosamides A and B from the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula from Cocos Lagoon, Guam, Journal of natural products, 74(4):871-876

Kuffner, Ilsa B., Hickey, T. D., Paul, Valerie J., Morrison, Jennifer M., Walters, Linda J., Grablow, Katie R., Turner, Teresa and Parish, Edward R. 2011. Half-dead colonies of Montastraea annularis release viable gametes on a degraded reef in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Bulletin of Marine Science, 87(4):855-856

Meickle, Theresa, Gunasekera, Sarath P., Liu, Yanxia, Luesch, Hendrik and Paul, Valerie J. 2011. Porpoisamides A and B, two novel epimeric cyclic depsipeptides from a Florida Keys collection of Lyngbya sp, Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry, 19(22):6576-6580

Ross, Cliff, Ritson-Williams, Raphael, Pierce, Richard, Bullington, J. Bradley, Henry, Michaël and Paul, Valerie J. 2010. Effects of the Florida red tide dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, on oxidative stress and metamorphosis of larvae of the coral Porites astreoides, Harmful Algae, 9(2):173-179

Kwan , Jason C., Ratnayake, Ranjala, Abboud, Khalil A., Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2010. Grassypeptolides A-C, Cytotoxic Bis-thiazoline containing marine cyclodepsipeptides, Journal of Organic Chemistry, 75(23):8012-8023

Matthew, Susan, Ratnayake, Ranjala, Becerro, Mikel A., Ritson-Williams, Raphael, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2010. Intramolecular Modulation of Serine Protease Inhibitor Activity in a Marine Cyanobacterium with Antifeedant Properties, Marine Drugs, 8(6):1803-1816

Sharp, Koty H., Ritchie, Kim B., Schupp, Peter J., Ritson-Williams, Raphael and Paul, Valerie J. 2010. Bacterial Acquisition in Juveniles of Several Broadcast Spawning Coral Species, Plos One, 5(5):e10898

Kwan, Jason C., Teplitski, Max, Gunasekera, Sarath, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2010. Isolation and Biological Evaluation of 8-epi-Malyngamide C from the Floridian Marine Cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula†, Journal of natural products, 73(3):463-466

Salvador, Lilibeth A., Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2010. Caylobolide B, a Macrolactone from Symplostatin 1-Producing Marine Cyanobacteria Phormidium spp. from Florida, Journal of Natural Products, 73(9):1606-1609

Matthew, Susan, Salvador, Lilibeth A., Schupp, Peter J., Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2010. Cytotoxic Halogenated Macrolides and Modified Peptides from the Apratoxin-Producing Marine Cyanobacterium Lyngbya bouillonii from Guam, Journal of Natural Products, 73(9):1544-1552

Ritson-Williams, Raphael, Paul, Valerie J., Arnold, S. N. and Steneck, Robert S. 2010. Larval settlement preferences and post-settlement survival of the threatened Caribbean corals Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis, Coral Reefs, 29(1):71-81

Dobretsov, Sergey, Teplitski, Max, Alagely, Ali, Gunasekera, Sarath and Paul, Valerie J. 2010. Malyngolide from the cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula interferes with quorum sensing circuitry, Environmental Microbiology Reports, 2(6):739-744

Gunasekera, Sarath, Miller, Margaret W., Kwan, Jason C., Luesch, Hendrik and Paul, Valerie J. 2010. Molassamide, a Depsipeptide Serine Protease Inhibitor from the Marine Cyanobacterium Dichothrix utahensis†, Journal of natural products, 73(3):459-462

Arthur, Karen E., Paul, Valerie J., Paerl, Hans W., O'Neil, Judith M., Joyner, Jennifer and Meickle, Theresa. 2009. Effects of nutrient enrichment of the cyanobacterium Lyngbya sp on growth, secondary metabolite concentration and feeding by the specialist grazer Stylocheilus striatus, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 394:101-110

Kwan, Jason C., Eksioglu, Erika A., Liu, Chen, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2009. Grassystatins A-C from Marine Cyanobacteria, Potent Cathepsin E Inhibitors That Reduce Antigen Presentation, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 52(18):5732-5747

Meickle, Theresa, Matthew, Susan, Ross, Cliff, Luesch, Hendrik and Paul, Valerie J. 2009. Bioassay-Guided Isolation and Identification of Desacetlymicrocolin B from Lyngbya cf. polychroa, Planta Medica, 75:1427-1430

Paul, Valerie J., Piraino, Juliane and Diederick, Laura. 2009. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce: 38 years of research on the marine biodiversity of Florida, Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences, (38):25-41

Kuffner, Ilsa B., Paul, Valerie J., Ritson-Williams, Raphael, Hickey, T. D. and Walters, Linda J. 2009. "Reef communities in the Dry Tortugas (Florida, USA): Baseline surveys for the new no-take area". Pp. 311-315 in Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 7-11 July 2008 (Reigl, B. M. and Dodge, R. E.).

Matthew, Susan, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2009. Tiglicamides A-C, cyclodepsipeptides from the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya confervoides, Phytochemistry, 70(17-18):2058-2063

Ritson-Williams, Raphael, Arnold, Suzanne, Fogarty, Nicole, Steneck, Robert S., Vermeij, Mark and Paul, Valerie J. 2009. New perspectives on ecological mechanisms affecting coral recruitment on reefs, Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences, (38):437-457

Matthew, Susan, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2009. Largamides A-C, Tiglic Acid-Containing Cyclodepsipeptides with Elastase-Inhibitory Activity from the Marine Cyanobacterium Lyngbya confervoides, Planta Medica, 75(5):528-533

Dobretsov, Sergey, Teplitski, Max and Paul, Valerie J. 2009. Mini-review: quorum sensing in the marine environment and its relationship to biofouling, Biofouling, 25(5):413-427

Sharp, Koty, Arthur, Karen E., Gu, Liangcai, Ross, Cliff, Harrison, Genelle, Gunasekera, Sarath, Meickle, Theresa, Matthew, Susan, Luesch, Hendrik, Thacker, Robert W., Sherman, David H. and Paul, Valerie J. 2009. Phylogenetic and Chemical Diversity of Three Chemotypes of Bloom-Forming Lyngbya Species (Cyanobacteria: Oscillatoriales) from Reefs of Southeastern Florida, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 75(9):2879-2888

Ritson-Williams, Raphael, Shjegstad, Sonia M. and Paul, Valerie J. 2009. Larval metamorphosis of Phestilla spp. in response to waterborne cues from corals, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 375(1-2):84-88

Taori, Kanchan, Liu, Yanxia, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2009. Combinatorial Strategies by Marine Cyanobacteria: Symplostatin 4, an Antimitotic Natural Dolastatin 10/15 Hybrid that Synergizes with the Coproduced HDAC Inhibitor Largazole, Chembiochem, 10(10):1634-1639

Kwan, Jason C., Taori, Kanchan, Paul, Valerie J. and Luesch, Hendrik. 2009. Lyngbyastatins 8-10, Elastase Inhibitors with Cyclic Depsipeptide Scaffolds Isolated from the Marine Cyanobacterium Lyngbya semiplena , Marine Drugs, 7:528-538

FULL PUBLICATIONS LIST