Paul Bourdeau

Paul Bourdeau serves as Professor and Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Biological Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt, where he has been a faculty member since 2014 following a postdoctoral appointment at Michigan State University. His academic leadership spans graduate program coordination and teaching core courses in marine systems.

His formal education includes:

• BS in Biology from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (1997)
• MS in Marine Biology from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (1999)
• PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Stony Brook University (2009)

Dr. Bourdeau's research investigates marine organismal responses to anthropogenic environmental change, with emphasis on phenotypic plasticity, invasive species impacts, and climate change stressors in intertidal ecosystems. His lab employs field observations, manipulative experiments, and quantitative syntheses to unravel how predator-prey dynamics and physiological adaptations shape community structure under global change.

Analysis of his publication portfolio reveals a dominant focus on multi-stressor interactions (ocean acidification, warming, invasive predators) across marine trophic levels, particularly using gastropods and zooplankton as model systems. His work consistently bridges fundamental ecological theory with applied conservation questions, demonstrating how phenotypic plasticity modulates species resilience.

As an advisor, Dr. Bourdeau mentors four current graduate students (Rose Harman, Bailey McCann, Sandra Traverso, Jake Vargas) and has successfully guided nine former students to completion, reflecting his commitment to training the next generation of marine ecologists.

He directs the Phenotype Environment Biodiversity (PEB) Lab at Cal Poly Humboldt, which functions as an interdisciplinary hub for ecological research integrating molecular, physiological, and community-level approaches to address pressing questions in marine environmental change.