Dr. Brendan Cornwell

Brendan is interested in how symbiotic partnerships (co)evolve to match local environmental conditions that can be highly heterogeneous over space and time. He completed his PhD at UC Davis where he examined the genetic patterns that result from tightly coupled endosymbiotic associations between intertidal anemones and their photosymbiont partners. His work in the Palumbi Lab aims to link those genetic patterns to holobiont (the host and symbiont) performance in reef-building corals where that partnership breaks down in the face of warming conditions due to climate change. His goal is to understand how both hosts and symbionts will evolve to match changing conditions and how interactions between the two will help or hinder their ability to match the pace of climate change across their geographic ranges. Outside of the lab he enjoys climbing, hiking, cooking, baking, and on a good low tide you will likely find him exploring the local tidepools.