Ian Hewson

Ian Hewson is a Biological Oceanographer and Marine Ecologist working on the impacts of viruses on marine ecosystem function. He obtained his B.Sc (Hons) in Botany from the University of Queensland in 1997, then his PhD in Marine Environmental Biology from the University of Southern California in 2005. He was a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Ocean Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz from 2005 - 2008 before coming to Cornell. Dr Hewson is the Director for Undergraduate Studies for Marine Biology in the Biology Major.

Research Focus

Marine Microbiology, Marine Ecology, Biological Oceanography, and Marine Science

Teaching Focus

Marine biology, marine ecology, biological oceanography and environmental virology

Outreach and Extension Focus

• High school student and teacher training in aquatic microbiology
• Public Seminars
• Field-based outreach opportunities

Areas Of Expertise

• Marine Biogeochemistry, Marine Microbiology, Marine, Ocean
• Marine, Oceanography, Biology, Ecology, Virology

Graduate Fields

• Microbiology
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Courses Taught

• BioMI 3500/ EAS3555 Marine Diseases
• BioMI 7800 Fundamental Topics in Ocean Studies

Selected Publications

Journal Publications

• Vilanova-Cuevas B, Philipp KH, Altera AK, Apprill A, Becker CC, Behringer DC, Brandt ME, Breitbart M, Budd KA, DeRito CM, Duermit-Moreau E, Evans JE, Hopson-Fernandes M, Fleischer JA, Gittens Jr S, Henson MW, Hylkema A, Kellogg CA, Maritan AJ, Meyer JL, Pratte ZA, Ritchie IT, Sevier MLB, Souza M, Stewart FJ, Van Der Wal S, VonHoene S, Hewson I (2025) “Detection of the Diadema antillarum scuticociliatosis Philaster clade on sympatric metazoa, plankton and abiotic surfaces and assessment for its potential reemergence” Marine Ecology Progress Series https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14763
• Hewson I, Johnson MR, Reyes-Chavez B  (2024) “Lessons learned from the sea star wasting investigation” Annual Reviews in Marine Science 17: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-040623-082617
• Crandell JG, Altera AK, DeRito CM, Hebert K, Markis J, Lim EG, Philipp KH, Rede JE, Schwartz ME, Vilanova-Cuevas BY, Wang E, Hewson I (2023) “Dynamics of the Apostichopus californicus-associated Flavivirus under suboxic conditions and organic matter amendment“. Frontiers in Marine Science https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1295276
• Hewson I, Ritchie IT, Evans JS, Altera A, Behringer D, Bowman E, Brandt M, Budd KA, Camacho RA, Cornwell TO, Countway PD, Croquer A, Delgado GA, DeRito C, Duermit-Moreau E, Francis-Floyd R, Gittens S, Henderson L, Hylkema A, Kellogg CA, Kiryu Y, Kitson-Walters KA, Kramer P, Lang JC, Lessios H, Liddy L, Marancik D, Nimrod S, Patterson JT,  Pistor M, Romero IC, Sellares-Blasco R, Sevier MLB, Sharp WC,  Souza M, Valdez-Trinidad A, van der Laan M, Vilanova-Cuevas B, Villalpando M, Von Hoene SD, Warham M, Wijers T, Williams SM,  Work TM, Yanong RP, Zambrano S,  Zimmermann A,  Breitbart M (2023) “A scuticociliate causes mass mortality of Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean Sea” Science Advances. 9: DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg3200
• Aquino CA, Besemer RM, DeRito CM, Kocian J, Porter IR, Raimondi P, Rede JE, Schiebelhut LM, Sparks JP, Wares JP, Hewson I (2021) “Evidence that microorganisms at the animal-water interface drive sea star wasting disease” Frontiers in Microbiology. DOI: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.610009/
• Hewson, I, Bistolas, KSI, Quijano Cardé, EM, Button JB, Foster PJ, Flanzenbaum JM, Kocian J, Lewis CK (2018) “Investigating the complex association between viral ecology, environment and North Pacific sea star wasting” Frontiers in Marine Science 5:77
• Gudenkauf BM, Hewson I (2016) “Comparative metagenomics of viral assemblages inhabiting four phyla of marine invertebrates” Frontiers in Marine Science https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00023