About the Chief Scientist
Andrew Bruckner is a coral reef ecologist with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (LOF). He is the chief scientist for LOF, working to develop and implement a standardized set of research activities during the Global Coral reef Expedition. Andrew received his M.S. in marine biology from Northeastern University, Boston MA in 1988, and his Ph.D. from the University of Puerto Rico in 1999. His Ph.D. thesis involved a study on the occurrence, impact and treatment of black band disease, a disease that affects corals worldwide.
Since the mid 1980s, Andrew has conducted research to understand the impacts of natural and anthropogenic disturbance on coral reefs and patterns of recovery following major disturbance events. He has focused his research on the effects of coral disease, bleaching, coral predation and hurricanes on the survival of important reef-building corals, and how the prevalence and impacts of these stressors vary across gradients of human activity, combining field and laboratory studies.
He has worked closely with resource managers and government agencies in the U.S. and internationally in developing conservation, management and restoration actions for coral reefs through legislation, international (CITES) regulations, development of sustainable management guidelines, and on-the-ground monitoring, research and restoration activities. His emphasis has been in addressing unsustainable fisheries, trade in ornamental coral reef species, and identifying factors and processes that improve reef resilience. Andrew is also involved in the development, implementation and training in coral health monitoring programs and the implementation of Rapid Response programs to address catastrophic and extreme events including mass bleaching events, disease and predator outbreaks, and physical impacts from groundings and storms.
