Margaret McFall-Ngai

An American biologist, physiologist, and biochemist, she is known for her work on the symbiotic relationships and, specially, between Hawaiian bobtail squid and bioluminescent bacteria. Her research, which has helped to expand the field of microbiology, is mainly centred on pathogenicity and decomposition to include positive microbial associations in these processes. She is presently professor at Pacific Biosciences Research Center’s Marine Laboratory, and director of the Pacific Biosciences Research Program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is the author of de The influence of Cooperative Bacteria on Animal Host Biology (Cambridge University Press, 2005). In 2019 she received the ARCS Foundation Scientist of the Year award. She worked with Lynn Margulis and is a leading world expert in her field.