Maureen K Purcell, Ph.D.
I have been a scientist with the USGS since 2005. I was a microbiologist and then the Fish Health Section Chief at the Western Fisheries Research Center, and am now the Deputy Center Director of the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center.
Prior to joining FRESC's management team, I led a team of scientists, technicians, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students and visiting scientists working to improve methods for the detection of fish pathogens, determine factors affecting the epidemiology of fish diseases, and develop novel control strategies for reducing losses among both hatchery-reared and wild fish.
Professional Experience
2022 - Present: Deputy Center Director, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR
2017 - 2022: Chief, Fish Health Section, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA
2014 - Present: Affiliate Associate Professor, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
2008 - 2016: Research Microbiologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA
2005 - 2008: Microbiologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA
1999 - 2000: Contractor, NOAA Fisheries, Northwest Fishery Science Center, Seattle, WA
1997 - 1999: Professional Research Assistant, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2005. Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
M.S. 1997. Zoology, University of Maine, Orono, ME
B.S. 1993. Zoology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Fisheries Society - Fish Health Section
European Association of Fish Pathologists
Associate Editor - Journal of Aquatic Animal Health
Editorial Board - Fish and Shellfish Immunology
Editorial Board - Journal of Virological Methods
Honors and Awards
2016 - Presidential Early Career Service Award for Scientists and Engineers
2012 - U.S. Geological Survey, Western States Diversity Award group award to Fish Health Section
2012 - American Fisheries Society, Most significant paper in Journal of Aquatic Animal Health
2009 - U.S. Geological Survey, Best Professional Paper in Biology by a New Scientist
2008 - American Fisheries Society, Most significant paper in Journal of Aquatic Animal Health
2004 - Faculty Merit Award, U.W. School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences
Science and Products
Identification of the major capsid protein of erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV) and development of quantitative real-time PCR assays for quantification of ENV DNA
Ichthyophonus parasite phylogeny based on ITS rDNA structure prediction and alignment identifies six clades, with a single dominant marine type
Recommended reporting standards for test accuracy studies of infectious diseases of finfish, amphibians, molluscs and crustaceans: the STRADAS-aquatic checklist
Potential drivers of virulence evolution in aquaculture
Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. are broadly susceptible to isolates representing the North American genogroups of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus
Piscine reovirus: Genomic and molecular phylogenetic analysis from farmed and wild salmonids collected on the Canada/US Pacific Coast
Genetic variation underlying resistance to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in a steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population
Effects of temperature on Renibacterium salmoninarum infection and transmission potential in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum)
Testing of candidate non-lethal sampling methods for detection of Renibacterium salmoninarum in juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Piscine reovirus, but not Jaundice Syndrome, was transmissible to Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), Sockeye Salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), and Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar L.
U.S. response to a report of infectious salmon anemia virus in Western North America
Detection of Ichthyophonus by chromogenic in situ hybridization
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Identification of the major capsid protein of erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV) and development of quantitative real-time PCR assays for quantification of ENV DNA
Ichthyophonus parasite phylogeny based on ITS rDNA structure prediction and alignment identifies six clades, with a single dominant marine type
Recommended reporting standards for test accuracy studies of infectious diseases of finfish, amphibians, molluscs and crustaceans: the STRADAS-aquatic checklist
Potential drivers of virulence evolution in aquaculture
Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. are broadly susceptible to isolates representing the North American genogroups of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus
Piscine reovirus: Genomic and molecular phylogenetic analysis from farmed and wild salmonids collected on the Canada/US Pacific Coast
Genetic variation underlying resistance to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in a steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population
Effects of temperature on Renibacterium salmoninarum infection and transmission potential in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum)
Testing of candidate non-lethal sampling methods for detection of Renibacterium salmoninarum in juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Piscine reovirus, but not Jaundice Syndrome, was transmissible to Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), Sockeye Salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), and Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar L.
U.S. response to a report of infectious salmon anemia virus in Western North America
Detection of Ichthyophonus by chromogenic in situ hybridization
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government