tresguerres lab

The Tresguerres Lab pioneers biomedical-grade research on aquatic organisms to reveal how they sense, integrate, and adapt to environmental variability across molecular, cellular, organismal, and ecosystem scales. Using a comparative physiology framework spanning phytoplankton, invertebrates, and fish, the lab elucidates conserved and taxa-specific mechanisms underlying symbiosis, neurobiology, acid–base regulation, biomineralization, and energy metabolism. This platform advances environmental and climate resilience by explaining how aquatic life responds to warming, acidification, deoxygenation, pollutants, and biological invasions across ecosystems from tropical reefs to polar waters. By integrating genomics, physiology, ecology, and environmental science, the lab's work bridges traditionally disconnected disciplines.

The lab uniquely combines computational modeling, biomedical-grade wet-lab experimentation, and field research to translate discovery into actionable solutions, including enhancing coral recruitment, managing invasive species spread, optimizing fisheries management, and informing marine protected-area design. Together, the ultimate goal of the program is to deliver decision-ready knowledge that enables science-based environmental policy and stewardship.