Graduate Student Spotlight
Drew Villeneuve '26 , from Brunswick, ME, is a Ph.D. biological sciences: marine biology student at UNH. Drew discussed his research focused on better understanding the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them.
How would you explain your discipline and/or research to a non-scientist?
Drew Villeneuve: I am a marine ecologist interested in how environmental variability and climate change impact the populations of habitat-forming invertebrate species, like oysters and corals. I use a range of laboratory, field, and computational techniques to produce ecological forecasts over these extreme events.
Why is your research important?
Drew: Marine Heatwaves are increasingly common due to climate change, meaning that marine organisms increasingly have to deal with these extreme events. Habitat-forming species are especially hard-hit by these extreme events, with the impacts on these species cascading throughout the ecosystem. I seek to make predictions about different species at scales useable by managers, linking the precision of laboratory experiments with the realism of field studies.
Have you learned/discovered anything during your research that’s surprised you? If so, what?
Drew: Amongst my projects, I study intertidal oysters in Great Bay. Heat stress in these oysters is actually common, even in New England, and we regularly record body temperatures of oysters at low tide that match or exceed what we would expect for oysters in Florida and Gulf of Mexico. Nonetheless, oysters are extremely tough little mollusks!
Why did you choose UNH?
Drew: My advisor, Easton White, was a big draw for me to choose UNH for my doctoral program. I am lucky to have such a great supervisor! I was also attracted by the great access to a range of different estuarine and marine environments, and the availability of two great marine labs, Jackson Estuarine Lab and Coastal Marine Lab, so close to campus.
What do you plan to do with your degree?
Drew: I really enjoy uncovering and describing how nature works - the stakes could not be higher when studying the impacts of climate change on our oceans. I would love to continue research and mentoring as a professor or research scientist.
Finally, tell us a fun or interesting fact about yourself.
Drew: In addition to all of the scientific writing I do, I am also an aspiring fiction writer. I've published two short stories about how people experience the natural world and the trauma of climate change.
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