Joshua Meisel

Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar

Media Profile

"Coral reefs comprise some of the most productive and biologically diverse ecological communities on earth. They are valued not only for the rich marine habitats they provide to fish and invertebrates, but also for their beauty that draws tourists and revenue to coastal communities. Over the past 20 years, coral reefs have experienced extensive degradation worldwide, most notably due to the phenomenon of coral bleaching."

Joshua Meisel is one of fifteen Americans to be granted a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship in 2007. Joshua is a Biological Sciences and English graduate from Stanford University, currently completing his Masters in Biological Sciences. Through his Fulbright Joshua will enrol in an Honours Year with the Centre for Marine Studies at The University of Queensland.

“I will conduct research on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef aimed at protecting the reef ecosystem from global climate change and expanding our knowledge of its symbiotic biology”, explains Joshua. “While increased sea surface temperatures have been identified as a major cause of coral bleaching, little is known about the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms, especially oxidative DNA damage and repair. The research on which I will work plans to characterise oxidative DNA damage and repair processes in corals in an effort to further illuminate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying coral bleaching.”

“My project came about when I was invited to attend the 2006 Symbiosis Cell Biology Workshop, a conference hosted in Australia that brought together the world’s top researchers in coral symbiosis. In an effort to unite the field and speed up its progress, the community collectively chose the sea anemone Aiptasia to be the single model organism for studying coral bleaching.”

“Thus, my Master’s work is now an integral part of my proposed Fulbright research. I will be able to study DNA damage and bleaching in both corals and Aiptasia, synthesizing the new model system with its practical applications on the Great Barrier Reef. John Pringle, with whom I am conducting my current research at Stanford University, and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, my Australian Fulbright host at The University of Queensland, were both co-organisers of the conference and my project will now be a collaborative one between their two research groups.”

The University of Queensland, with whom I plan to conduct my research, has access to a DNA library containing over 11,000 genes from corals and 4,000 from zooxanthellae. Additionally, this group operates labs in Brisbane and on Heron Island, as well as a recently awarded ARC Center, making it uniquely suited for this research.

Joshua has previously visited Australia on a study abroad program and also undertaken postgraduate study in Mexico. He is also actively involved in Stanford drama productions as an Actor, Producer and Teaching Assistant.