Christian Voolstra, a researcher within the SPP 2299, has recently been elected president of the International Coral Reef Society (ICRS). This is a prestigious appointment as Christian is the first scientist from Germany to be elected as president. ICRS is a science-based association focused on the protection of coral reefs worldwide, and is committed to the dissemination of scientific knowledge on coral conservation to secure coral reefs for future generations. ICRS is particularly important as it promotes exchange between science, policy and society and is made up of over 1,300 members from around 80 countries.
‘It is with great pride and pleasure that I start my four-year term as ICRS President’ Professor Voolstra states in his address to members. ‘Securing a future for coral reefs has never been more urgent. The ICRS strives to be a leader in coral reef scientific discovery, to contribute to the education of future coral reef scientists, and to be a strong voice for science informing policies that protect coral reefs.’
University of Konstanz
Christian Voolstra is a professor in genetics of adaptation in aquatic systems at the University of Konstanz. His project within SPP 2299, ‘TRACE‘, is focusing on how we can use past and recent climatic conditions to identify thermally tolerant coral species. By examining bleaching response and calcification the project aims to gain insight into how future warming and thermal history may affect coral resilience. The mobile test system ‘Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System’, or CBASS, developed by Christian will be used within this project to identify resistant corals in the field.