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Sven Kranz

Sven Kranz

Associate Professor of Biosciences

Biosciences

CONTACT

skranz@rice.edu

WEBSITE(S)| Kranz Lab

SURF Mentoring

Potential projects/topics: Within the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology this research will focus on oceanography/marine biology! Our lab focuses on phytoplankton ecophysiology in extreme conditions and a changing climate - in a potential project, students would be focusing on phytoplankton responses to conditions such as marine heatwaves, warming, and ocean acidification with an emphasis on plankton communities in the Gulf of Mexico using laboratory techniques including flow cytometry, fluorescence, and spectrometry to determine responses. Marine heatwaves are of special interest for this project because they are trending more frequent and severe, with variable effects among seasons, latitudes, and taxonomic groups. Other projects, such as response to changes in salinity or assessing algae physiology within sea-ice are possible.

Potential skills gained: Cell culturing, Flow cytometry, fluorescence, spectrometry, data analysis using R

Required qualifications or skills: There are no prerequisites for this opportunity, only a passion for biology or marine science.

Direct mentor: Graduate Student

Research Areas

In our lab we study phytoplankton ecology and biogeochemistry. We are specifically interested in how different phytoplankton groups respond to environmental perturbations such as changes in CO2, light intensity and nutrient availability. My students and I aim to not only characterize the responses of phytoplankton to a multitude of environmental factors, but also to understand the underlying processes of the measured responses, such as photosynthetic pathways, carbon acquisition processes and protein regulation.