People

Glassell Family Endowed Chair in Marine Biomedicine and Professor of Marine Biology and Ecology

Dr. McDonald is a Professor of Marine Biology and Ecology at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. She is also the Scientific Director of the National Aplysia Resource and the Director of the Glassell Family Center for Marine Biomedicine.  Dr. McDonald’s research is focused broadly on physiology and toxicology, and how animals respond to environmental stress.  While she works on marine animals, much of her research has applicability to human health and disease, including work that she has done on the stress response, serotonin dynamics, oil toxicology and exposure effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and whole animal responses to environmental stressors such as low oxygen (hypoxia).  Dr. McDonald’s current research serves to determine the response of the California sea hare, Aplysia californica “Aplysia” nervous tissue and heart to reduced blood flow and blood oxygen as the animal ages. Dr. McDonald is an award-winning teacher and mentor, teaching several senior-level undergraduate courses and mentoring both undergraduates and graduate students in laboratory research. She feels that it is extremely important to communicate science in a fun, accessible way, with the goal of her educational and outreach activities always being the four E’s: to educate, engage, excite and empower.

Danielle's Google Scholar

dmcdonald@miami.edu

PhD Student
2020 — Present  

anastasiya.plotnikova@earth.miami.edu

PhD Student
2024 — Present

Sejal Kumar's research focuses on developing Aplysia californica as a model to study the enhanced susceptibility of the aged to ischemia-reperfusion injury. As part of this work, she is being trained in both in vivo and in vitro techniques using Aplysia, including performing microsurgeries and developing neural tissue preparations.

Sejal earned her Bachelor of Science in Marine Science from Amity University, India. She holds two Master of Science (M.Sc.) degrees—one in Marine Biology from Goa University, India, and another in Marine Environmental Management from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom.

sejal.kumar@miami.edu

Undergraduate Researcher
2024 — Present

cht49@earth.miami.edu

Undergraduate Researcher
2024 — Present

cpl84@earth.miami.edu

Undergraduate Researcher
2025

gsd60@miami.edu