Randall Hughes
Current Job: Professor, Marine and Environmental Science, Northeastern University
Current Project: Several! Testing whether source climate can predict the response of eelgrass populations to thermal stress; Using a life history modeling approach to understand the impacts of shoot and seed harvest on eelgrass populations; Testing the effectiveness of combined shoot and seed restoration efforts; Examining the social factors limiting adoption of conservation moorings.
State(s) working in: Massachusetts
Where are you from: North shore of MA (but originally from GA)
What do you think is the main reason we should protect SAV?
SAV are evolutionarily unique (underwater pollination!) and ecologically important, and there are relatively few species, so we should do what we can to protect them!
How do you feel your research will make a difference in the SAV community?
My goal is to increase our understanding of how SAV systems work, at a fundamental level, so we can then use that information to protect and restore them more effectively. Key to that is understanding the effects of genetic variation on population processes in both the short and long term.
What is one of your best memories working with SAV?
When I started grad school at UC Davis, I was super lucky to take a seagrass biology course with Susan Williams. I have especially fond memories of exploring in the field with her, and of listening to her amazing stories!
What keeps you motivated to keep caring about the future of SAV?
I find it fascinating - there are so many unanswered questions! And everything we learn has the potential to help conserve and restore the system.
More about Randall’s story
Dr. Randall Hughes is a Professor in the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences at Northeastern University. She joined Northeastern in 2013, after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Public Policy Analysis at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in Ecology at the University of California-Davis. Dr. Hughes’s research focuses on understanding the ecological and social causes and consequences of biodiversity change, and applying that knowledge to the conservation and restoration of coastal and marine systems.
