Marie Strader

Marie Strader is an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University, leading the Strader Lab. Her research focuses on ecological and evolutionary responses of marine invertebrates to environmental change, particularly through integrative approaches combining epigenetics, physiology, and genomics. She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Oregon (2010) and a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Texas at Austin (2017), followed by postdoctoral research at the University of California, Santa Barbara (2017–2019).

Her research emphasizes three core themes: ecological evolutionary epigenetics, genetic basis of responses to multiple stressors, and phenotypic plasticity in global change contexts. She uses marine models like corals, sea urchins, and jellyfish to explore how organisms adapt to rapid environmental shifts. Key topics include DNA methylation’s role in transcriptomic plasticity, transgenerational effects of parental environments, and symbiotic relationships influencing resilience.

Strader’s work has advanced understanding of coral reproductive behaviors via ROV observations, coral mucus composition post-bleaching, and CRISPR/Cas9 applications in coral genome editing. Her lab collaborates broadly, addressing critical questions in marine conservation and climate adaptation.

Notable contributions include studies on transgenerational plasticity, coral heat tolerance through selective breeding, and the molecular mechanisms underlying symbiotic relationships. Her research bridges laboratory experiments with field observations, aiming to inform strategies for marine ecosystem resilience.