DoctorSpencer Virgin

My research focuses on understanding the ecophysiological effects of climate change and extreme events on intertidal marine organisms. I do this by studying the ecological and physiological responses of organisms to stress in the lab and in the field. These stress responses can then be combined with long-term climate data to predict fine-scale in situ distributions and potential cascading effects on the entire ecosystem. 

I'm also interested in the effects of climate change on large-scale biogeographic patterns in New Zealand, and how sediment impacts our coastal ecosystems.