Susan Brawley is an American marine ecologist at the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

known for her research on algae, especially algal reproduction. She was elected a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

in 2012.

Education and career

Brawley has a B.S. from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

(1973) and earned her Ph.D. in 1978 from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. Following her Ph.D., she worked at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

and the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

. In 1983, she joined

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

as an assistant professor. In 1991, she moved to the University of Maine where she was promoted to professor in 1994. Brawley was the Editor of the Journal of Phycology from 1996 until 2001. She was the president of the Phycological Society of America in 2011.

Research

Brawley's early research examined the biology of the brown algae ''

Fucus ''Fucus'' is a genus of brown algae found in the intertidal zones of rocky seashores almost throughout the world. Description and life cycle The thallus is perennial with an irregular or disc-shaped holdfast or with haptera. The erect portion ...

'' and macroalgal reproductive ecology, and the role of grazers in determining community structure on coral reefs. In the rocky intertidal zone, Brawley has modeled fertilization and the physical transport of gametes from algae. She has also tracked the movement of invasive species including periwinkles and the toothed wrack seaweed, ''

Fucus serratus ''Fucus serratus'' is a seaweed of the north Atlantic Ocean, known as toothed wrack, serrated wrack, or saw wrack. Description and reproduction ''Fucus serratus'' is a robust alga, olive-brown in colour and similar to ''Fucus vesiculosus'' an ...

'', where her research revealed that both originated from Ireland and Scotland and were likely carried in ballast rocks on ships that were moving materials across the Atlantic Ocean. Her research on electrical currents measured during the development of

wild carrot ''Daucus carota'', whose common names include wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace (North America), is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old World ...

, a flowering plant, revealed that the chemical

indole-3-acetic acid Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, 3-IAA) is the most common naturally occurring plant hormone of the auxin class. It is the best known of the auxins, and has been the subject of extensive studies by plant physiologists. IAA is a derivative of indole, con ...

rapidly stopped the current in the plant's cells. Brawley led the team examining the genome of the red algae ''

Porphyra ''Porphyra'' is a genus of coldwater seaweeds that grow in cold, shallow seawater. More specifically, it belongs to red algae phylum of laver species (from which comes laverbread), comprising approximately 70 species.Brodie, J.A. and Irvine, L ...

'' and the resulting research revealed how they survive by transporting nutrients, protecting themselves from light, and form cell walls. Brawley's research has implications for aquaculture and the new marketing of sea vegetables, including ''

Ascophyllum ''Ascophyllum nodosum'' is a large, common cold water seaweed or Phaeophyceae, brown alga (Phaeophyceae) in the Family (biology), family Fucaceae. Its common names include knotted wrack, egg wrack, feamainn bhuí, rockweed, knotted kelp and Norweg ...

, as'' a new cash crop in Maine.

Selected publications

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Awards and honors

* Award of Excellence, Phycological Society of America (2020) * Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2012)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brawley, Susan Wellesley College alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni University of Maine faculty Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 1951 births Living people Women phycologists American marine biologists American phycologists Biologists from North Carolina