Ariane L. Peralta, Ph.D.
East Carolina University
Ariane L. Peralta, Ph.D., is a professor of biology at East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina. Her current projects examine climate change effects on plant-microbe interactions and biogeochemical processes in urban, freshwater and coastal wetlands. Peralta’s scholar-teacher approach increases student access to research opportunities focused on applying ecological principles to address critical environmental problems that require microbiome management.
Peralta actively mentors both graduate and undergraduate students, fostering meaningful research experiences that prepare them for advanced studies and careers in STEM fields. Peralta leads interdisciplinary microbiome research and collaborates with economists, engineers, geologists and anthropologists to understand how ecological systems interact with human systems to better predict ecosystem responses to environmental changes. The interdisciplinary team uses environmental monitoring and data science to support community-engaged research to empower communities to address real-world environmental-related issues facing coastal communities.
In addition to serving as the Chair for Subcommittee on Maximizing Opportunities through Education (MOTE), Peralta serves as the 2026 黑料正能量Microbe Applied and Environmental Microbiology Meeting Program Committee Chair. Peralta was a member and then chair of the 黑料正能量Microbe Program Committee Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity track and a member of the 黑料正能量Subcommittee on Minority Education. As a scholar in the ASM-led, NSF-funded Microbiology Leaders Evolving and Accountable to Progress (MicroBio-LEAP) project, Peralta launched an initiative at ECU to strengthen the culture of research mentoring by enhancing relationships between faculty and students. This effort is grounded in the Entering Mentoring curriculum, which applies evidence-based strategies developed by the Center for Improved Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER).