Born and raised in Phuket, Thailand, I have always been fascinated by coral reefs. My main interests involve coral physiological responses to environmental stress, especially heat stress that causes coral bleaching. Before joining the Barshis lab, I received my bachelor’s degree from Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, where I did my dissertation thesis on ecological surveys of coral reefs around Phuket Island. I continued to pursue my master’s degree in the Erasmus Mundus’ IMBRSea program and had a chance to conduct my thesis at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). My master’s research investigated the physiological traits, such as survival and photosynthetic responses, of adult corals subjected to heat stress treatments. It was during this research that I developed an interest in using molecular techniques to study the mechanisms involved in coral tolerance and susceptibility to heat stress, and how those mechanisms differ among coral individuals.

I am excited to join the Barshis lab and Old Dominion University as a Ph.D. student. My research will focus on applying genetic tools to assess coral performance in response to environmental changes and how those techniques can be implied to reef restoration attempts. Feel free to reach out to me via:

Email – pweer001@odu.edu

Twitter – @wponchanok