Ph.D. Student | athies@ucsd.edu

Angus is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in the Tresguerres Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). From Boston, MA, Angus developed an early interest in Marine Biology and chose to pursue his passion as an undergraduate at UC San Diego. While at UCSD, he explored the field of Marine Biology by studying predictors of coral reef health (School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies), animal husbandry (New England Aquarium), marine mammal bioacoustics (Sirovic Lab, SIO), and microbial contamination in estuaries (Oregon Sea Grant/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). These experiences taught him a suite of molecular biology, field research, and coding techniques which he sought to expand as a volunteer in the Tresguerres Lab during his Senior year. Angus first became involved with the lab after taking Dr. Tresguerres’s Marine Biochemistry course in 2016. Coursework concerning pH regulation, host-symbiont biology, and invertebrate systems particularly interested him.

During his volunteer appointment, Angus developed a deep interest in marine physiology and cell biology. His work on projects exploring mechanisms of coral calcification and host-symbiont interactions especially captured his interest and he chose to complete a B.S./M.S. in Marine Biology in the Tresguerres Lab. During M.S. studies, Angus identified mechanisms of coral-driven nitrogenous molecule exchange (in prep) and explored how environmental factors affected carbon and nitrogen concentrating mechanisms in coral-algal symbioses. After working as a Lab Assistant (SIO) and Systems Engineer/Biological Consultant (D&K Engineering) for a year, Angus is returning to the Tresguerres Lab to start his doctoral study as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.

Research Interests:

  • Cellular mechanisms enabling coral calcification and symbiosis
  • Symbiotic mechanisms of marine invertebrates (nutrient exchange, growth control, cell signaling)
  • Development of new tools to study host-symbiont interactions
  • Application of marine model systems to study human health

Angus’s research is focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms governing coral-symbiont interactions. He is currently building on his M.S. research pertaining to the delivery of nitrogenous molecules to intracellular symbionts in corals and starting new projects concerning coral symbiosomes.

Angus volunteers as a Peer-Mentor at SIO and mentors undergraduate students in the Tresguerres Lab. He is supported by a Scripps Fellowship and the NSF GRFP (2019).

Selected Publications: