Welcome to the Waite Research Lab

Marine biomolecular materials such as the polychaete jaws of Nereis and Glycera, tube cement of the sandlecastle worm (Phragmatopoma), the byssal threads and adhesive of Mytilus, squid beaks, and whelk egg capsules are all grist to the mill of the Waite lab at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Our overarching research theme involves understanding structure-function relationships in load- or impact-bearing materials made by marine organisms. The research is necessarily multidisciplinary and involves graduate students, post-docs, and collaborating faculty from seven different programs at UCSB: Biomolecular Science & Engineering, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Interdepartmental program in Marine Sciences, Materials, Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology, and Physics.