Join us in congratulating Dr. Corrina Breusing as recipient of the Research and Scholarship Staff Excellence Award in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
May 5, 2024
Dr. Corinna Breusing joined URI GSO in 2018 as a Postdoctoral Researcher and became a Marine Research Associate in 2022. Through her expertise in animal and microbial biology, she has made significant breakthroughs in understanding the ecology and evolution of marine animals and microbes. Her use of genomic data to address research questions is unmatched. One of her impressive innovations has been uniquely employing paired host-symbiont population genomics techniques, which are now being adopted by other deep-sea biologists. This novel work has allowed her to reveal ecological and evolutionary patterns that had previously never been observed for these ecosystems. Her work provided the very first evidence for a long-standing, but previously never tested paradigm in the deep-sea biology field, the idea that hydrothermal vent animals associate with locally adapted microbial symbionts. This significant work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a top-ranked, high impact journal.
Dr. Breusing is a prominent and internationally recognized scientist who maintains many research collaborations across North America, Europe, and Asia and has been successful at securing prestigious research grants and contracts. She led a multi-institution research proposal to the Schmidt Ocean Institute which funded a 30-day research cruise to deep-sea hydrothermal vents along the Western Galapagos Spreading Center. She also secured a 2-year contract to work with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History on a large-scale genomic sequencing project.
In addition to her scholarship, Dr. Breusing has mentored postdoctoral researchers, graduate, and undergraduate students teaching them both laboratory protocols and computational methods. She served as a guest lecturer, and supported research and training cruises for students and scientists. Dr. Breusing continues to lead multi-institution efforts funded by prestigious philanthropic organizations. Her insightful and impactful work will continue to grow her reputation and URI’s worldwide.
Recipients of Research and Scholarship Staff Excellence Awards are chosen for their commitment to their studies, their College, the University community in general, and for serving as a positive role model and resource to all. Congratulations, Corinna!
Read about the rest of the URI Research & Scholarship Excellence Awards Recipients here.