Featured Grantee

Quick Facts

  • Name: Kelcie L. Chiquillo
  • Comes from: Sacramento, California
  • Lives in: San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • In three words: Compassionate, Grounded, Courageous
  • Leisure time activities: scuba diving, paddleboarding, exercising, fly fishing, crafting, and spending time with my family.
  • Likes: Anything fish print, yoga, travelling Unsuspected talent: I am good at cooking Mexican food.
  • Currently reading: Witch Club (comic book series)

In a nutshell

  • My research matters because…
    I’m studying how coastal ecosystems respond to different stressors. I investigate how seagrasses cope with environmental changes such as invasive species through fieldwork and lab analyses of their genetics, epigenetics, and microbes, including transplant experiments to identify populations most likely to thrive. Seagrass meadows provide essential services—they protect shorelines, store carbon, filter harmful bacteria, and support fisheries and marine life. Understanding the threats from human-driven is critical to preserving their ecological and economic value.     
  • One of the inspirations for my research has been…
    Aldo Leopold said ecologists “live alone in a world of wounds”—I want the world to see those wounds too, and help stop and prevent the bleeding.     
  • The best thing about my job is… 
    Having the flexibility to design my own schedule, while pursuing meaningful research that blends fieldwork, lab work, teaching and mentorship in ways that keeps my schedule versatile and exciting.

  • My career highlight so far has been…
    Watching my students gain skills and confidence in earning their open water SCUBA certification, it’s always been my dream to create opportunities that combines exploration on SCUBA, and use science as a tool to uncover the critical aspects of an ecosystems function, and contribute to solutions that promote ecological balance.

  • My advice to aspiring researchers is… 
    Follow the questions that light you up inside, trust yourself when you get bad vibes, and never underestimate the power of paying attention to the little things, they often lead to the biggest discoveries.

Kelcie L. Chiquillo
Assistant Professor at UPR Rio Piedras
Second Vice President at A WOC Space

Interview:

It is fascinating how two influential factors often determine a scientific career: a schoolteacher and a movie. In my case, it was my high school chemistry teacher and the movie Awakenings. But even before that, my father gave me a very enriching environment by letting me spend time with him in his workshop, which was full of fascinating tools and old chemistry glassware at our family house. 

I’m studying how coastal ecosystems respond to different stressors. We head into the field to collect samples, document conditions, and quantify patterns in nature. Back in the lab, we preserve those samples and extract DNA and RNA to uncover genetic and epigenetic signatures, analyze microbial communities, and study how genes and genomes respond to environmental change. I also study how drifting Sargassum affects marine life, how competition shapes microbial communities, and how toxic dinoflagellates accumulate on seagrasses. By combining field observations with molecular data and bioinformatics, this work helps guide restoration efforts and protect healthy, resilient coastal ecosystems. 

My research has revealed how the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea spreads and impacts native ecosystems in the Caribbean. I discovered that its expansion is driven mainly by cloning and fragmentation rather than seed dispersal, reshaping how we monitor and manage its spread. Through mesocosm experiments, I found that H. stipulacea grows faster when mixed with native seagrasses while suppressing their growth, showing its potential to alter habitats that support fish, invertebrates, and coastal protection. I’ve also shown that warming waters and nutrient enrichment can give this invader an edge, while herbivory can sometimes limit its success. Together, these findings highlight the conditions that promote its spread and inform strategies to protect native seagrass meadows and the marine life that depends on them. 

In my research, I integrate field ecology with molecular and computational biology to elucidate the mechanisms governing coastal ecosystem dynamics. In the field, we systematically collect biotic and abiotic samples, quantify structural and functional patterns, and monitor environmental parameters. Back in the laboratory, we preserve specimens and extract nucleic acids to interrogate genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic landscapes, while profiling microbial consortia associated with seagrass holobionts. Using high-throughput sequencing, metagenomic analyses, and bioinformatic pipelines, we decode the molecular signatures of stress, adaptation, and interspecific interactions, linking phenotypic and ecological observations in situ to the underlying genomic and microbial processes that drive ecosystem function and resilience. 

I hope to protect coastal ecosystems by studying seagrasses—vital plants that support fishes and human fisheries. By using genetic, epigenetic, and microbial communities as potential signatures to identify meadows of Thalassia testudinum populations that are more resilient to temperature warming and invasive species pressure as early identification to potential candidates for restoration that will most likely survive transplantation effect and environmental pressures. Our research will ensure healthy seagrass meadows for generations to come. 

I’m obsessed with fly fishing. There’s something magical about taking rooster feathers, the bristles of old makeup brushes, and a few glittered ribbons, tying them meticulously to a hook, connecting it to a fly line, and casting it with precision to the perfect spot. It’s about intentionality: tracking subtle movements of the fly, reading the water, decoding fish behavior, and a healthy dose of patience. Presentation is everything—fish know—but when a fish strikes, that instant—setting the hook and feeling the fight without knowing if you have the strength to land it, and then realizing you do—is pure joy. I love the adrenaline of hooking a big fish, like a shark, but I’m equally fascinated by the smaller fighters; even species like Oscars can put up a surprisingly spirited battle. Fly fishing, for me, is a blend of art, physics, biology, hand-eye coordination, and strategy all rolled into one.