Natalie Cohen is an assistant professor in Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. She received her PhD from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2017 and BSc from Pennsylvania State University in 2010. Cohen’s research addresses how unicellular eukaryotes, also known as protists, respond to changes in their chemical environment on molecular, physiological and ecological scales, and the resulting implications for biogeochemical nutrient cycling in the ocean. Photosynthetic protists, in particular, play a key role in ocean biogeochemistry by converting atmospheric carbon dioxide into organic carbon, transferring energy to higher trophic levels and exporting organics to the deep ocean. Their growth is dependent on macronutrient (e.g., nitrate, phosphate) and micronutrient availability (e.g., trace metals and vitamins), the concentrations of which may vary due to their physical, biological and geochemical sources and sinks.