Brian Strehlow
Associate Research Scientist
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: PhD University of Western Australia
Research Websites: Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental ScienceS (ACCESS)
Research Areas: Corals; Thermal Tolerance; Population Genetics; Transcriptomics; Genomics
Brian Strehlow’s research has focused on the ecology, ecophysiology, and molecular genetics of marine invertebrates, e.g., corals and sponges, and their symbionts. Prior to his PhD, he worked as a Research Assistant at the University of Richmond (USA) studying the physiological and transcriptomic factors involved in the establishment of symbioses between sponges and symbiotic algae. He completed his PhD thesis at the University of Western Australia on the effects of sediments on sponges in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Marine Science. This thesis was part of the Western Australian Marine Science Institution’s Dredging Science Node. His PhD research determined lethal and sublethal thresholds of marine sponges to sediment-related stressors, and these thresholds are now used in environmental impact assessments and monitoring programs for dredging operations in Australia.
Strehlow's postdoctoral work at the University of Southern Denmark identified sponge species that could survive in the field without oxygen for months at a time and described how their symbioses with archaea are likely crucial for their anoxia tolerance. He continued his work on the effects of oxygen depletion on various marine invertebrates as a Lecturer and Researcher at La Rochelle University in France. This work has important implications for future oceans, which will have less dissolved oxygen due to climate change and elevated nutrient input.
Strehlow's current research within the Burt Marine Biology Lab will determine if certain coral individuals exhibit higher thermal tolerance than others and describe the mechanisms underpinning thermal tolerance. Coral thermal tolerance will be evaluated using CBASS (Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System) at a variety of sites to identify the top-performing coral individuals. Changes in gene expression during heat stress will be determined using transcriptomics, elucidating genes involved in thermal tolerance or sensitivity. These data will then be used to inform selective breeding studies and coral restoration projects, with the aim of producing more thermally tolerant corals to withstand future temperature increases.