PhD Student

Lauren Franck

Undergraduate Degree:  Marine Science (Biology), Geological Sciences

Undergraduate University:  University of Miami

Postgraduate Degree:

Postgraduate University:

Email:  lfranck@ucsd.edu 

Advisors:  Dr. Art Miller, Dr. Jeremy Jackson

Research Interests:
•    Marine ecosystem response to climate change
•    Physical oceanography around coral atolls
•    Regional ocean modeling
•    Coral bleaching
•    Physical stressors on coral reefs


Brief Bio:
My curiosity about the ocean began as a kid catching blue crabs on the Chesapeake Bay.  Witnessing degradation of the local ecosystem deepened my interests in both oceanography and marine conservation. I pursued marine science in my undergraduate education at the University of Miami.  At the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science I worked on ecotoxicology safety limits for bodies of water and carbonate sedimentology in the Caribbean.  A field course in the Galápagos Islands gave me my first taste of a pristine ecosystem, and I have focused my education and research on identifying and protecting other such places.  My undergraduate honors thesis used projected sea surface temperatures to identify regions where coral reefs were likely to suffer various degrees of bleaching in the face of climate change.  From these predictions, we were able to identify regions where there were potential ‘Reefs of Hope’ that were likely to survive in the warming ocean and could be used as management priorities.  At Scripps I am continuing and refining these ideas by investigating local physical stressors on coral reefs.  My goals are to pinpoint key thresholds that can be predicted with oceanographic models and identify reefs likely to survive the changing climate, and to become involved with the implementation of management strategies.  The opportunity to be involved in the interdisciplinary program and summer course is exciting for me, and I am thrilled to have joined CMBC and the Scripps community where I can pursue climate change and marine ecosystem conservation.


Publications: