Noelle A. Held, Ph.D.

Mission statement

To inspire people to be better stewards of the environment, themselves, and each other by exploring the connectivity of life and the Earth, empowering the next generation of scientists, and cultivating a culture of teamwork and wellness in academia

Specializations

microbial biogeochemistry, environmental proteomics, oceanography, nutrient cycling, global change, data science, bioinformatics, analytical chemistry, yoga and wellness for scientists/academics

Education and Research Experience

2024- University of Southern California, Department of Biological Sciences, Marine and Environmental Biology Section

• Gabilan Assistant Professor

2020- ETH Zürich, Department of Environmental Systems Science
Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Sciences and Technology (Eawag), Department of Environmental Microbiology

• Postdoctoral Researcher in the Microbial Systems Ecology Group, Advisor: Prof. Dr. Martin Ackermann

2014-19 MIT-WHOI Joint Program, Chemical Oceanography

• Ph.D. Chemical Oceanography and Microbial Biogeochemistry, Advisor: Dr. Mak Saito

2010-13 Stetson University, DeLand, FL

• B.S. Chemistry, University Honors Program, Magna cum laude

Publications

Publications in Refereed Journals

*indicates corresponding author

2024

• Held, N.A.*, Manhart, M. “Are microbes colimited by multiple resources?” EcoEvoRxiV (and accepted at Current Opinion in Microbiology) https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/6797/
• Jacob M. Robertson, Erin A. Garza, Astrid K.M. Stubbusch, Christopher L. Dupont, Terence Hwa, Noelle A. Held* “Marine Bacteria Alteromonas spp. Require UDP-glucose-4-epimerase for Aggregation and Production of Sticky Exopolymer” bioRxiV (and accepted at mBio) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.01.11.575244v1.abstract
• Eric A Webb, Noelle A Held*, Yiming Zhao, Elaina D Graham, Asa E Conover, Jake Semones, Michael D Lee, Yuanyuan Feng, Fei-xue Fu, Mak A Saito, David A Hutchins “Importance of mobile genetic element immunity in numerically abundant Trichodesmium clades” ISME Comms 3, 1 (2024) https://academic.oup.com/ismecommun/article/3/1/15/7456096
• Christopher W. Via, Laura Grauso, Kelly M. McManus, Riley D. Kirk, Andrew M. Kim, Eric A. Webb, Noelle A. Held, Mak A. Saito, Silvia Scarpato, Paul V. Zimba, Peter D. R. Moeller, Alfonso Mangoni, and Matthew J. Bertin “Spatial and Temporal Resolution of Cyanobacterial Bloom Chemistry Reveals an Open-Ocean Trichodesmium thiebautii as a Talented Producer of Special3:ized Metabolites” Environ. Sci. Technol. (2024) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.3c10739

2023

• Fink, J., Held N.A. , Manhart, M. “Microbial population dynamics decouple nutrient affinity from environmental concentration” PNAS (2023) 120 (2) e2207295120 https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2207295120
  

2022

• Held, N.A. , Waterbury, J., Webb, E.A., Kellog, R.M., McIlvin, M.M., Jakuba, M., Valois, F.W., Moran, D.M., Sutherland, K.M. & Saito, M.A. “Dynamic diel proteome and daytime nitrogenase activity supports buoyancy in the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium.”” Nat Microbiol 7, 300–311 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-021-01028-1
  
  • Featured in Nat. Rev. Microbio. DOI: 10.1038/s41579-022-00690-4
    
  • Featured in This Week in Microbiology podcast
  • Featured in Small Things Considered blog
• Webb, E.A., Held, N.A. , Zhao, Y., Graham, E., Conover, A.E., Semones, J., Lee, M.D., Feng, Y., Fu, F., Saito, M. A., Hutchins, D.A. “Importance of Mobile Genetic Element Immunity in Numerically Abundant Trichodesmium Clades” bioRxiv (2022): Link [accepted at ISME Comms]

2021

• Held, N. A., Sutherland, K. M., Webb, E. A., McIlvin, M. R., Cohen, N. R., Devaux, A.J., Hutchins, D.A., Waterbury, J.B., Hansel, C.M. & Saito, M.A. “Mechanisms and heterogeneity of in situ mineral processing by the marine nitrogen fixer Trichodesmium revealed by single colony metaproteomics” ISME Commun. (2021) doi:10.1038/s43705-021-00034-y.
• Cohen, N.R., McIlvin, M.R., Moran, D.M., Held, N.A., , Saunders, J.K., Hawco, N.J., Brosnahan, M., DiTullio, G.R., Lamborg, C., McCrow, J.P., Dupont, C.L., Allen, A.E., Saito, M.A. “Dinoflagellates alter their carbon and nutrient metabolic strategies across environmental gradients in the central Pacific Ocean.” Nat. Microbiol. (2021) doi:10.1038/s41564-020-00814-7.

2020

• Held, N.A., Webb, E.A., McIlvin, M.M., Hutchins, D.A., Cohen, N.R., Moran, D.M., Kunde, K., Lohan, M.C., Mahaffey, C., Woodward, E.M.S., Saito, M.A. “Co-occurrence of Fe and P stress in natural populations of the marine diazotroph Trichodesmium” (2020) Biogeosciences 17, 2537-2251 https://www.biogeosciences.net/17/2537/2020/
• Saunders J.K., Gaylord, D.A., Held, N.A., , Symmonds, N., Dupont, C.L., Shepherd, A., Kinkade, D., Saito, M.A. “METATRYP v 2.0: Metaproteomic Least Common Ancestor Analysis for Taxonomic Inference Using Specialized Sequence Assemblies-Standalone Software and Web Servers for Marine Microorganisms and Coronaviruses” (2020) J. Proteome Res. doi:10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00385.
• Saito, M.A., Saunders, J.K., Chagnon, M., Gaylord, D.A., Shepherd, A., Held, N.A., , Dupont, C., Symmonds, N., York, A., Charron, M., Kinkade, D.B. “Development of an Ocean Protein Portal for Interactive Discovery and Education.” (2020) J. Proteome Res. doi:10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00382.

2019

• Held, N.A. , McIlvin, M., Moran, D., Laub, M., Saito, M. “Unusual patterns of two component sensing in marine bacteria.” (2019) mSystems 4 (1) e00317-18; DOI: 10.1128/mSystems.00317-18
• Saito, M., Bertrand, E., Duffy, M., Gaylord, D., Held N.A. , Hervey, J., Hettich, R., Jagtap, P., Janech, M., Kinkade, D., Leary, D., McIlvin, M., Moore, E.K., Morris, R., Neely, B., A., Nunn, B. L., Saunders, J. K., Shepherd, A., Symmonds, N., Walsh, D. A. “Progress and Challenges in Ocean Metaproteomics and Proposed Best Practices for Data Sharing.” (2019) Journal of Proteome Research 18:4, 1461-1476 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.8b00761

2018

• Held, N.A. , Saunders, J., Futrelle, J., Saito, M. and the Ocean Protein Portal Team. “Harnessing the power of Scientific Python to Investigate Metaproteomes and Biogeochemistry of the Central Pacific Ocean” PROC. OF THE 17th PYTHON IN SCIENCE CONF. (SCIPY 2018) https://doi.org/10.25080/Majora-4af1f417-010

2017

• Lee, M., Webb, E., Walworth, N., Fu, F., Held, N.A. , Saito, M., and Hutchins, D. “Transcriptional activities of the microbial consortium living with the marine nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Trichodesmium reveal potential roles in community-level nitrogen cycling “ Appl. Environ. Microbiol. Dec 2017, 84 (1) e02026-17; DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02026-17

Papers in Review/Pre-print/Preparation

• Noelle A. Held*, Aswin Krishna, Donat Crippa, Anastasia Dragan, Michael Manhart “Nutrient colimitation is a quantitative, dynamic property of microbial populations” BioRxiV (currently in revision) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.27.559472v2
• Daniels, M., Stubbusch, A., Held, N.A. , Schubert, O.T., Ackermann, M. “Effects of interspecies interactions on marine community ecosystem function” bioRxiv (2022): Link

Other Publications

2017

• Orlando Sentinel, Why I March for Science

Awards, Grants and Fellowships

2021

• ETH Career Seed Grant “Opening a new dimension of metaproteomics - protein conformational changes in mixed microbial communities”

2019

• Turkey Land Cove Foundation residency

2017

• WHOI Ocean Ventures and Von Dassel Grants - for high-risk research

2015

• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

2014

• MIT Walter A. Rosenblith Presidential Scholar
• Stetson University Outstanding Senior, Department of Chemistry
• American Institute of Chemists Outstanding Senior

2013

• Barry Goldwater Scholar
• WHOI Summer Student Fellow (advisor Dr. Mak Saito)

2012

• Phi Beta Kappa
• NSF REU (Boise State University, advisor Dr. Eric Brown) - second award

2011

• NSF REU (Boise State University, advisor Dr. Eric Brown)

2008

• National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Scholarship for language study in Russia

Teaching

Spring 2024

• Instructor, Methods in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography (BISC457), a Maymester experential learning course for undergraduates on Catalina Island (co-instructed with Karla Heidelberg)

2022 - 2023

• Assisting instructor, Microbiology Practicum (undergraduate, ETH-Z)

2021

• Data Carpentries/Software Carpentries Online Teaching Pedagogy certification (2021-)
• Assisting instructor, Microbiology Practicum (undergraduate, ETH-Z)

2020

• Data Carpentries/Software Carpentries Instructor (registered and trained) (2020-)

2016

• Teaching Assistant: “Science, Politics and Environmental Policy” (Prof. Susan Solomon, MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science)

2015

• MIT Splash (High School Short Course): What is Mass Spectrometry?

2011-13

• Stetson University, Writing Center Tutor
• Starke Elementary School, science educator

Direct Student Mentorship

2023 -

• Thesis advisor of students Mia Franks (USC Ocean Sciences program) and Rachael Peng (USC Marine & Environmental Biology Program)

2022 - 2023

• Term paper tutor (masters level), ETH-Z Institute Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics

2021 - 2023

• Research supervisor to ETH-Z masters student Donat Crippa Donat received an ETH medal for his thesis work

2020 -

• Research mentor to ETH-Z Ph.D. student Natalie Wichmann
• Term paper tutor to ETH-Z masters student Donat Crippa

2018-19

• Research mentor to visiting PhD student Korrina Kunde

Other student mentorship

2024

• USC Ocean Sciences program qualifying examination committee
• USC Marine and Environmental Biology program - member of two qualifying committees

Field Work

2024

• R.V. Yellowfin
  San Pedro Ocean Time Series: monthly microbial metaproteomes

2018

• R.V. Atlantis
  Tricolim (Nutrient limitation and colimitation of nitrogen fixing bacteria): In situ metaproteomics, trace metal sampling, shipboard incubations

2017

• R.R.S. James Cook
  JC150/Ziploc (Zinc, Iron and Phosphorous in the Subtropical Gyre): In situ metaproteomics, shipboard incubations

2016

• R.V. Falkor
  Investigating life without oxygen in the tropical pacific”: http://schmidtocean.org/cruise/investigating-life-without-oxygen-in-the-tropical-pacific/cruise-log/

2015

• R.V. Atlantic Explorer
  Proteomics and phytoplankton at the Bermuda Ocean Times Series (BATS)

2013

• F.S. Maria S. Merian
  MSM-25: Trace metals and proteins near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, hydrothermal vent discovery

Workshop Participation and Organization

2020

• Co-organizer, Microbial Specialized Metabolism Seminar, ETHZ and University of Zurich (with Dr. Serina Robinson)

2019

• Introducing an Ocean Protein Portal Town Hall (ASLO National Meeting 2019)
• Applying to Graduate School Workshop (ASLO National Meeting 2019) (Organizer)

2018

• Single Cell Proteomics, Northeastern University

2017

• Best Practices in Marine Metaproteomics, Woods Hole, MA
• “Call of the Wild” Interdiscipinary workshop (2016 and 2017), Cambridge, MA., and London, U.K.

Service

2024

• USC MEB computing resources committee
• 2017-18
• Advisor to MIT PAOC retreat committee
• Coordinator, WHOI Biogeochemistry Discussion Series

2016

• MIT Presidential Advisory Cabinet
• MIT Faculty Committee on Graduate Programs

2013

• Stetson University Student Government, Chief of Staff

2012

• Stetson University Student Government, Chair of Academic Affairs

Presentations at Meetings, Seminars and Workshops

2024

• Held, N.A. “Orbitrap-enabled metaproteomics to assess ocean ecosystem health” Thermo Scientific Caltech Orbitrap Symposium (invited).
• Held, N.A. “Protein biomarkers of marine microbial biogeochemistry” SoCal Geobiology Symposium
• Held, N.A. Microbial decision-making in nutrient limitation and the link to marine biogeochemical cycles” University of California Santa Cruz
• Held, N.A. USC Junior faculty symposium. “Microbial decision-making and the link to marine biogeochemical cycles”

2023

• Held, N.A. The ocean omics explosion. Given to ~40 Nature Portfolio editors interested in ocean science, microbiology, and ecology and evolution (invited).
• Held, N.A. Fink, J., Manhart, M. Expanded frameworks for microbial growth in nutrient (co)limitation. Economic principles in cell biology symposium (invited)
• Held, N.A. Fink, J., Manhart, M. Expanded frameworks for microbial growth in nutrient (co)limitation. Theory Across Biology Workshop, Bern, Switzerland

2022

• “Metaproteomics for marine microbial metabolism” Euromarine Biogeoscapes Workshop (invited)

2021

• Held, N.A. Proteome regulation in Trichodesmium: from cellular decisions to biogeochemical cycles” Dissertations in Chemical Oceanography (DISCO) Meeting 2021”
• Held, N. A., Sutherland, K. M., Webb, E. A., McIlvin, M. R., Cohen, N. R., Devaux, A.J., Hutchins, D.A., Waterbury, J.B., Hansel, C.M. & Saito, M.A. ASLO ASM 2021. (invited)

2020

• Held, N. University of Liverpool Ocean Seminar Series (Invited)
• Held, N. Eawag UMIK Department Seminar (Invited)

2019

• Held, N. , McIlvin, M., Webb, E., Sutherland, K., Hansel, C., Saito, M. ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics
• Held, N. , McIlvin, M., Webb, E., Waterbury, J., Saito, M. ASLO National Meeting
• Saunders, J., McIlvin, M., Moran, D., Held, N. , Dupont, C., Santoro, A., , McIlvin, M., Saito, M.A. ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics
• Saito, M., Searle, B., Moran, D., Saunders, J., Held, N. , Dupont, C., Johnson, R., McIlvin, M. ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics
• Gaylord, D., Saunders, J., Held, N. , Symmonds, N., Shepherd, A., Changon, M., Kinkade, D., Odelmont, T., Murat Eren, A., Dupont, C., Saito, M.A. ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics
• Cohen, N., McIlvin, M., Moran, D., Held, N. Saunders, J. Hawco, N. DiTullio, G. Lamborg, C. McCrow, J. Dupont, C. Allen, A. Saito, M.. ASLO National Meeting
• Saunders, J., McIlvin, M., Moran, D., Held, N., Webb, E. Santoro, A. Dupont, C. Saito, M. ASLO National Meeting

2018

• Held, N., McIlvin, M., Saito, M. ASMS National Meeting:
• Held, N., McIlvin, M., Moran, D., Saito, M. WHOI MC&G Department Seminar
• Saunders, J., McIlvin, M., Moran, D., Held, N., Futrelle, J., Webb, E., Santoro, Al., Dupont, Ch., Saito, M. ASMS National Meeting
• Saito, M., Gaylord, D. Shepherd, A., Saunders, J., Held, N., Chagnon, M., Symmonds, N., Kinkade D., MccIlvin, M. ASMS National Meeting
• McIlvin, M., Bertrand, E., Duffy, M., Gaylord, D., Held, N., Hervey, J., Hettich, R., Jagtap, P., Janech, M., Kinkade, D., Leary, D., Moore, E., Morris, R., Neely, B., Nunn, B., Saunders, J., Shepherd, A., Symmonds, N., Walsh, D., Saito, M. ASMS National Meeting

2017

• Held, N., MIT PAOC SLS Seminar
• Held, N., McIlvin, M., Moran, D., Saito, M. ASLO National Meeting
• Held, N., Zakem, E. MIT-Oxford Call of the Wild workshop (London, UK) (Invited)

2016

• Held, N.. WHOI, MC&G Department Seminar
• Zakem, E., Held, N., MIT-Oxford Call of the Wild workshop, Cambridge, MA (Invited)
• Held, N., McIlvin, M., Moran, D., Saito, M. Ocean Sciences National Meeting

2015

• Held, N., McIlvin, M., Saito, M. ASMS National Meeting

2012

• Held, N., Brown, E. ACS Northwest Regional Meeting (NORM)
• Held, N., Brown, E. American Chemical Society National Meeting
• Held, N., Brown, E. Idaho INBRE conference
• Held, N., Brown, E. Stetson University Undergraduate Research Symposium

2011

• Held, N., Brown, E. Idaho INBRE conference

Outreach Talks and Speaking Engagements

2021

• “How to apply to graduate school” workshop (organizer) , ASLO ASM Meeting - reprised from 2019

2019

• “How to apply to graduate school” workshop (organizer) , ASLO National Meeting

2017

• ASLO National Meeting NSF GRFP Workshop

2016

• MIT Museum Trivia Night, “Studying ocean microbes” (Invited)
• MIT Museum, “Life without oxygen in the tropical Pacific” (Invited)
• MIT-Merck meet-up: “Diagnosing the ocean: protein biomarkers for marine microbe function.” (Invited)

2015

• MIT Museum/Cambridge Science Festival (Invited)
• MIT Museum, “Diagnosing the Ocean: Adapting biomedical technology to assess the health of the sea.” (Invited)

Miscellania

Professional Affiliations

• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• American Society for Mass Spectrometry
• Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography
• American Chemical Society
• Phi Beta Kappa

Programming Languages

• Python (choice)
• Matlab
• R
• HTML/CSS

Spoken Languages

• English (Native)
• Spanish (Early Intermediate)
• Russian (Early Intermediate)
• American Sign Language (Early Intermediate)
• German (Very new learner)

References

Dr. Mak Saito (Ph.D. Advisor)
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Watson Biogeochemistry Building 123, MS#51
Woods Hole, MA 02543
msaito@whoi.edu
+01 508-289-2393

Dr. Martin Ackermann (Postdoc Advisor)
ETH Zurich and Eawag
Ueberlandstrasse 133
8600 Dübendorf
Switzerland
martin.ackermann@env.ethz.ch
+41 58 765 51 22

Dr. Eric A. Webb (Collaborator)
University of Southern California, AHF 137
3616 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0371
eawebb@usc.edu
+01 213-740-7954