Nathan B. Spindel, PhD | researcher
Bio
I study basic and applied marine science emphasizing physiological ecology, fisheries, and global change. As a Postdoctoral Researcher at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, I investigate the influences of marine protected areas (MPAs), benthic habitat, and species traits on spatiotemporal trends of fishery performance. As a National Science Foundation Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellow (NSF OCE 2308398), I study independent and combined impacts of temperature, acidification, and deoxygenation on the physiology, performance, and population dynamics of sea urchins whose grazing shapes nearshore ecosystems. To this end, I apply field experiments in the natural laboratory provided by geographic gradients of upwelling intensity in coastal California paired with manipulative experiments in a controlled laboratory setting. I aim to formalize and scale up insights from these studies using mechanistic modeling which leverages energetic theory to improve our ability to predict coastal ecological dynamics in a context of rapid global change.
Education
PhD - Biological Science, Florida State University
MS - Biological Science, Florida State University
BS - Aquatic Biology, University of California Santa Barbara
Employment
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Postdoctoral Researcher - California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (https://www.ccfrp.org/). Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, San Jose State University
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Research Scientist - Marine Protected Area Offshore Energy Development, California Polytechnic State University
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Postdoctoral Fellow - National Science Foundation, Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE - 2308398)