News in detail

Konstanz coral researcher Christian Voolstra has been elected president of the International Coral Reef Society (ICRS). With the goal of saving corals from extinction, the science-based organization advocates worldwide for the protection of coral reefs. The ICRS strives to be a leader in coral reef scientific discovery, to contribute to the education of future coral reef scientists, and to be a strong voice for science informing policies that protect coral reefs. The organization has 1,300 members from about 80 countries. Christian Voolstra is the first German researcher to be elected as its president.

"It is a great honour to accept this position. It has never been more urgent to ensure the survival of coral reefs," Christian Voolstra emphasizes before adding: "Like my predecessor, I would like to support scientific research on coral reefs to mitigate environmental impact and devise possible interventions. I would also like to be a strong advocate for research in order to promote policies that protect coral reefs. We need to act now, in order to secure the future of these ecosystems."

Christian Voolstra is professor of genetics of adaptation in aquatic systems at the University of Konstanz. For more than ten years, the biologist has been researching to better understand and protect coral reefs from extinction. Christian Voolstra investigates how to make corals more resilient so they can survive climate change. His particular focus is on the interaction between corals and their symbiotic microorganisms. Bringing together corals and bacteria that make them more resilient to warming oceans is one possible way to prevent coral reefs from climate-driven extinction.

Among other things, Christian Voolstra developed the rapid mobile test system CBASS (Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System) to identify particularly resilient corals in nature. With the help of CBASS, researchers can find coral exhibiting increased thermal tolerance and use them for the restoration of dying coral reefs. Eventually, the aim is to identify universal biomarkers of heat resilience that can be employed for large-scale screening of corals around the world. The project is funded with a total of 4 million dollars from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

Key facts:

• Professor Christian Voolstra was elected president of the International Coral Reef Society (ICRS). His four-year term began on 1 January 2023.
• Professor Christian Voolstra is professor of genetics of adaptation in aquatic systems at the University of Konstanz.
• Campus.kn magazine article about Christian Voolstra's research in the context of the Tara Pacific Project: www.campus.uni-konstanz.de/en/science/the-rainforest-of-the-oceans