Tyler Carrier

Tyler Carrier, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Dr. Reitzel's lab at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) and holds an Adjunct Lecturer position there. He is also a Visiting Scientist at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany and an Associated Researcher at CRC 1182, Kiel University. His research focuses on the ecological and evolutionary implications of microbial symbioses in marine invertebrates, particularly echinoderms and sponges.

Carrier earned his PhD in Biology from UNC Charlotte (2015–2020) and a BS in Marine Sciences from the University of Maine (2011–2015). His work integrates field studies, molecular biology, and computational modeling to explore how microbes influence reproduction, development, and survival in marine organisms. Key themes include symbiont transmission, microbiome-driven phenotypic plasticity, and the evolutionary dynamics of host-microbe interactions.

His research highlights the role of microbes in shaping developmental strategies (e.g., larval morphology, egg provisioning) and their consequences for fitness. He has also investigated symbiont roles in stress tolerance, such as coral bleaching resistance and pathogen defense in sea urchins. Carrier collaborates internationally, bridging marine biology, microbiology, and evolutionary ecology.