absorb.md

About Mandë Holford

Scientist at Harvard/AMNH/KillerSnails

X / @scimavenBlog
Compiled from 11 entries (1 videos, 8 articles) / updated 1d ago / v1

Dr. Mandë Holford is a Harvard professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Malacology, renowned for her research on mollusk venoms, including killer snails, while co-founding educational initiatives like Killer Snails LLC and 2030STEM to promote inclusive STEM learning. Her work bridges cutting-edge science with K-12 outreach, informal education studies, and efforts to diversify STEM fields. Though primarily focused on biology and education, her lab affiliations suggest broader interests in climate, energy, policy, finance, and inclusion.

Academic and Research Career

Dr. Mandë Holford serves as Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Malacology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, leading the Holford Lab at Biolabs, Room 1039.[7][8][4] Her research explores venomous mollusks, exemplified by her talk "When Mollusks Attack: Harnessing the Power of Venom," detailing the piercing harpoon of cone snails and other marine threats.[9]

STEM Education and Outreach

Holford co-founded Killer Snails, LLC with Jessica Ochoa-Hendrix to deliver exciting K-12 learning experiences centered on venomous snails.[5] She co-founded 2030STEM with Jackie Faherty to enhance STEM inclusivity through targeted activities.[3] She collaborates on NSF-funded ITEST grants for innovative student-teacher tech experiences and leads the Informal STEM Learning Study with Dr. Bobby Habig, supported by advisors like Dr. Jackie Faherty.[1][2]

Recognition and Public Engagement

Holford was selected as one of six women scientists profiled in the Science Friday/Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Breakthrough: Portraits of Women in Science series, highlighting her outreach impact.[6]

Key themes

Mollusk Venom Research

Focus on evolutionary biology of venomous mollusks like cone snails for scientific and applied insights.

  • Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Malacology [7]

  • YouTube talk on mollusks attacking with venom, including cone snail harpoons [9]

STEM Education Innovation

Development of K-12 programs using venomous snails and tech to engage students.

  • Co-founder of Killer Snails LLC for K-12 experiences [5]

  • NSF ITEST grant collaboration [2]

Diversity and Inclusion in STEM

Initiatives to make STEM more inclusive, targeting underrepresented groups.

  • Co-founder of 2030STEM for inclusive activities [3]

  • Profiled as woman scientist in HHMI series [6]

Informal Learning and Research

Studies and grants advancing non-formal STEM education.

  • Informal STEM Learning Study with team and advisors [1]

  • ITEST grant for students/teachers [2]

Interdisciplinary Collaborations

Partnerships across academia, funding agencies, and startups.

  • Lab team with Bobby Habig [2]

  • Co-founders with Faherty and Ochoa-Hendrix [3][5]

Sources (11)

Every entry that fed the multi-agent compile above. Inline citation markers in the wiki text (like [1], [2]) are not yet individually linked to specific sources — this is the full set of sources the compile considered.

  1. Music for Education & Wellbeing: [46] Do the arts, culture and music have a framing problem? With Anita Holfordpodcast_episode · 2026-04-14
  2. Fabulously Keto: 245: Patrick Holford - Food For The Brainpodcast_episode · 2026-04-14
  3. Informal STEM Learning Studyarticle · 2026-04-14
  4. Bobby Habig, PhD, Research Associate - Holford Labarticle · 2026-04-14
  5. 2030STEM - Holford Labarticle · 2026-04-14
  6. Contact - Holford Labarticle · 2026-04-14
  7. Killer Snails - Holford Labarticle · 2026-04-14
  8. Outreach - Holford Labarticle · 2026-04-14
  9. Mandë Holford, PhD, Principal Investigatorarticle · 2026-04-14
  10. Mande Holford Labarticle · 2026-04-14
  11. Holford, Mande When Mollusks Attack Harnessing the Power of Venomyoutube_video · 2026-04-14