Mathiroopini Andipalagan

I am interested in understanding how marine microalgae respond and adapt to environmental change, especially in polar and subpolar environments. I'm particularly curious about how these responses are shaped over ecological and evolutionary periods by phenotypic plasticity and epigenetic regulation. I also have a significant interest in harmful algal blooms (HABs), having studied the gene expression and distribution of toxin-producing algae in the Arctic, and I'm eager to explore the molecular basis of bloom formation under climate stress.

M.Sc. Marine Biology, University of Bremen, Germany: 2022-2024

B.Sc. Marine Biology, University of South Florida, USA: 2018-2021

B.Sc. Marine Biology (first year), University of Rhode Island, USA: 2017-2018

PhD member at the Helmholtz Graduate School for Polar and Marine Research (POLMAR)

Worked as a student teaching assistant at AWI, Bremerhaven: April 2024

Participated as a volunteer research assistant for the Perhentian Turtle Project in Malaysia: June 2018

Worked as a Statistics Peer Leader at the University of South Florida: 2018-2021

In my doctoral research, I will examine the epigenetic processes that underlie the short- and long-term responses of the model genus of marine diatoms Thalassiosira to warming and light variability. Using polar and temperate strains, I intend to establish reference epigenomes and examine how environmental changes influence phenotypic plasticity and trade-offs. This study will investigate intra- and inter-species trait variation, offering light on how diatoms may adapt to future climate scenarios.