Rate My Professor Marina Potapova

Marina Potapova, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science at Drexel University and Curator of Diatoms at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. In the field of Biology, she specializes in diatom research. She earned her PhD in Ecology from the Limnological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1993 and her MS in Botany from St. Petersburg University in 1984. She completed a postdoctoral research position at Uppsala University, Sweden, from 1994 to 1996. Dr. Potapova began her career at the Academy of Natural Sciences in 1999 as a Research Scientist in the Patrick Center for Environmental Research, advancing to Curator of Diatoms in the Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution in 2008. She joined Drexel University as Assistant Professor in 2012, promoted to Associate Professor in 2018. Earlier roles include Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa from 2009 to 2014, University Lecturer at St. Petersburg University from 1997 to 1998, and Research Scientist at the Russian Academy of Sciences from 1984 to 1990.

Dr. Potapova is an expert in the ecology and taxonomy of algae, especially diatoms, which are crucial producers of organic matter and oxygen and serve as sensitive indicators for water quality and environmental reconstruction. Her research utilizes light and scanning electron microscopy, geometric morphometric analysis, molecular methods, and ecological modeling to investigate diatom communities, their responses to environmental changes, and biogeographical patterns. Current efforts develop high-throughput approaches like virtual microscopy and DNA metabarcoding for algal assemblages. She has led or co-led numerous grants from NSF, EPA, USGS, and state departments of environmental protection on diatom-based biomonitoring in rivers, lakes, wetlands, and estuaries. Key publications include "Distribution of benthic diatoms in US rivers in relation to conductivity and ionic composition" (Freshwater Biology, 2003), "Benthic diatoms in USA rivers: distributions along spatial and environmental gradients" (Journal of Biogeography, 2002), "Diatom metrics for monitoring eutrophication in rivers of the United States" (Ecological Indicators, 2007), and "A harmonized dataset of sediment diatoms from hundreds of lakes in the northeastern United States" (Scientific Data, 2022). She served as President of the International Society for Diatom Research and is an editorial board member for Diatoms of North America and Diatombase. As curator of America's largest diatom herbarium, her contributions enhance taxonomy, ecological assessment, and global diatom databases.