Please allow me to broadly present my research interests.

As a coral researcher with over 20 years of experience, I strive to develop analytical tools that leverage the data myself and others have collected to conserve coral reefs. I continue to maintain an interest in basic research, as well, on the following topics:

1) the fundamental cellular biology of cnidarian-dinoflagellate endosymbioses

2) the effects of global climate change on reef-building corals

3) the environmental and stress biology of reef corals

My work incorporates field (SCUBA diving), experimental (tank studies), laboratory (molecular biology), and “big data” analytical approaches to better understand the fate of Earth's coral reefs. In actuality, most projects (past & present) span several of these themes. For instance, current works in the Maldives and South Florida seek to uncover the genetic basis of coral resilience to elevated temperature. Most past projects had made heavy use of molecular and cellular biology-based approaches, as I have maintained an interest in how corals can function when the vast majority of their cellular volume is encompassed by foreign cell types. Although this mutualistic association has allowed them to thrive for hundreds of millions of years, it also makes them sensitive to even slight changes in their environment (the “double-edged sword” that is endosymbiosis).

Data from prior manipulative (i.e., aquarium) experiments can be found under Research Projects). Interestingly, we did not document any effect of ocean acidification (OA) on coral health. In addition to data from manipulative experiments performed at Taiwan's National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium between 2008 and 2014 (Research Projects), I have also provided all images and data from research expeditions aboard the Living Oceans Foundation's research vessel, M.Y. Golden Shadow. Details of LOF's “Global Reef Expedition” can be found here. I have divided up the data and images by country visited, beginning with French Polynesia in 2013 and ending with Chagos in 2015.  

All photography provided by Anderson Mayfield unless noted otherwise.

Please check with me before you poach these photos. I won’t charge you a dime; I simply want to see they are being used!