People

Dr. Larissa Fruehe

Guest Investigator

Experience and Research Interests: I run the molecular program onboard OceanX's research vessel RV OceanXplorer, managing and facilitating science in our laboratories as well as conducting own studies, joining my expertise in eDNA-focussed work with my vast experience in study design and field sampling out in the ocean. My goal is to elevate the use of eDNA in marine exploration and enhance our understanding of eDNA behaviour in the marine environment. Additionally, I seek to find answers to what lives and thrives in our planet's most remote ecosystems like the deep-sea and ways to protect it.

Prior to joining OceanX, I was part of the TAJRC Lab of Professor Carlos M. Duarte at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, where my research focused on the usage of eDNA to explore various ecosystems like coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangroves, or survey (microbial) community changes in marine habitats. During my Ph.D, I tested the potential of microbes as bioindicators to assess the impacts of aquaculture on coastal ecosystems using benthic eDNA and a little dash of supervised machine learning.