Adrian Stier
@adrianstier.bsky.social
Ecologist and Conservation Biologist. PI @oceanrecoveries lab | Focus: ocean ecosystem resilience. | @ucsantabarbara | he/him/his
https://www.oceanrecoveries.com/
https://www.oceanrecoveries.com/
Reposted by Adrian Stier
WE JUST KEEP WINNING. (UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program RESTORED!!!!)
![On official UC letterhead:
UNIVERSITY
OF
CALIFORNIA
James B. Milliken President
Office of the President
1111 Franklin Street Oakland, CA 94607
universityofcalifornia.edu
CAMPUSES Berkeley
Davis
Irvine
UCLA
Merced
Riverside San Diego San Francisco
Santa Barbara Santa Cruz
MEDICAL CENTERS
Davis
Irvine
UCLA
San Diego
San Francisco
NATIONAL LABORATORIES Lawrence Berkeley Lawrence Livermore Los Alamos
DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
November 18, 2025
Dear Chancellors:
I'm writing with regard to the President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) and the program's associated faculty hiring incentive.
As you know, for more than 40 years, PPFP has provided postdoctoral research fellowships, professional development, and faculty mentoring to scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service advance the academic and research missions of the University of California.
Since 2003, UC campuses that hire current and former PPFP fellows into ladder-rank positions have been eligible for a hiring incentive funded by the University that provides support for newly hired fellows for five years. Since the creation of the incentive, more than $162 million has been invested by the University to support PPFP faculty hires. This commitment has enabled our campuses to successfully recruit and retain outstanding faculty across a range of disciplines.
Given the myriad challenges currently facing UC - including disruptions to billions of dollars in annual federal support, as well as uncertainty around the state budget- reasonable questions were raised in recent months about whether the University could maintain the commitment to current levels of incentive funding. After considering a recommendation to sunset the incentive program due to these significant fiscal constraints, I consulted with all of you as well as faculty and campus academic administrators and systemwide Academic Senate leadership.
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November 18, 2025 at 10:34 PM
WE JUST KEEP WINNING. (UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program RESTORED!!!!)
New paper alert! We just published a massive meta-analysis in @EcologyLetters asking: How does crowding affect survival in reef fish populations?
The answer? It's way more complicated than we thought.
🧵 Thread on what 147 studies taught us (1/8) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The answer? It's way more complicated than we thought.
🧵 Thread on what 147 studies taught us (1/8) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
November 18, 2025 at 8:38 PM
New paper alert! We just published a massive meta-analysis in @EcologyLetters asking: How does crowding affect survival in reef fish populations?
The answer? It's way more complicated than we thought.
🧵 Thread on what 147 studies taught us (1/8) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The answer? It's way more complicated than we thought.
🧵 Thread on what 147 studies taught us (1/8) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Our new study by Jameal Samhouri in @PLOSClimate reveals an uncomfortable truth about climate-ready fisheries: adaptive management strategies can boost population biomass OR harvest—but rarely both. The 'right' choice depends on what we value as a society.
journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
October 6, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Our new study by Jameal Samhouri in @PLOSClimate reveals an uncomfortable truth about climate-ready fisheries: adaptive management strategies can boost population biomass OR harvest—but rarely both. The 'right' choice depends on what we value as a society.
journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
Coral spawning = nature’s biggest party 🎉🌊
But while corals release their eggs + sperm into the night, a hidden guest list shows up hungry… 🦀⭐🐚🦪
@TomShlesinger reveals crabs, barnacles, brittle stars & more secretly feasting on coral spawn. doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
But while corals release their eggs + sperm into the night, a hidden guest list shows up hungry… 🦀⭐🐚🦪
@TomShlesinger reveals crabs, barnacles, brittle stars & more secretly feasting on coral spawn. doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
September 26, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Coral spawning = nature’s biggest party 🎉🌊
But while corals release their eggs + sperm into the night, a hidden guest list shows up hungry… 🦀⭐🐚🦪
@TomShlesinger reveals crabs, barnacles, brittle stars & more secretly feasting on coral spawn. doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
But while corals release their eggs + sperm into the night, a hidden guest list shows up hungry… 🦀⭐🐚🦪
@TomShlesinger reveals crabs, barnacles, brittle stars & more secretly feasting on coral spawn. doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
🦈 Sharks, skates, and rays aren’t locked into slow, “fixed” life histories. New work in Ecology Letters shows they can shift to higher reproductive output when food availability increases — a surprising plasticity in elasmobranch biology! 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Changing Feeding Levels Reveal Plasticity in Elasmobranch Life History Strategies
We analysed life history traits of 151 elasmobranch species for two contrasting feeding levels in a principal components analysis. Two axes, reproductive output and generation turnover, structure ela...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 7, 2025 at 5:26 PM
🦈 Sharks, skates, and rays aren’t locked into slow, “fixed” life histories. New work in Ecology Letters shows they can shift to higher reproductive output when food availability increases — a surprising plasticity in elasmobranch biology! 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Stratford et al. tracked >1,000 coral “babies” in the remote Chagos Archipelago after bleaching. Survival & growth were high, but after 3 yrs they still made up just 2.4% cover. Even “ideal” reefs often recover painfully slow. 🌊🌱
👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-025-02732-8
👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-025-02732-8
Fate-tracking early coral recruits following bleaching in a remote reef ecosystem - Coral Reefs
As coral reefs face increasingly frequent and severe disturbances, their condition relies more heavily on recovery dynamics. Understanding reef recovery is essential for assessing the long-term ecolog...
link.springer.com
September 5, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Stratford et al. tracked >1,000 coral “babies” in the remote Chagos Archipelago after bleaching. Survival & growth were high, but after 3 yrs they still made up just 2.4% cover. Even “ideal” reefs often recover painfully slow. 🌊🌱
👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-025-02732-8
👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-025-02732-8
1/ New paper in Coral Reefs compiles 7,600+ observations of coral cover across Indonesia (1994–2022).
Surprisingly, they find no clear national-level decline in coral cover over nearly 30 years. 🤯
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-024-02540-6
Surprisingly, they find no clear national-level decline in coral cover over nearly 30 years. 🤯
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-024-02540-6
Long-term dynamics of hard coral cover across Indonesia - Coral Reefs
Most comparative studies assessing reef health focus on living hard coral cover as the key metric. In Indonesia, in situ monitoring of coral cover has been ongoing for over five decades. However, as m...
link.springer.com
September 3, 2025 at 4:31 PM
1/ New paper in Coral Reefs compiles 7,600+ observations of coral cover across Indonesia (1994–2022).
Surprisingly, they find no clear national-level decline in coral cover over nearly 30 years. 🤯
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-024-02540-6
Surprisingly, they find no clear national-level decline in coral cover over nearly 30 years. 🤯
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-024-02540-6
Had so much fun visiting @ucdavis.bsky.social Bodega Marine Lab today and learning about all of the amazing work going on here. Thank you @dranyabrown.bsky.social , @rachaelabay.bsky.social , @tessahill.bsky.social and Jay for such a nice visit! 🐳
August 28, 2025 at 4:56 AM
Had so much fun visiting @ucdavis.bsky.social Bodega Marine Lab today and learning about all of the amazing work going on here. Thank you @dranyabrown.bsky.social , @rachaelabay.bsky.social , @tessahill.bsky.social and Jay for such a nice visit! 🐳
After marine heatwaves, removing dead coral skeletons cuts macroalgae in half and boosts coral recruitment 5-fold.
A novel, field-tested strategy to promote reef resilience.
Bravo, Kai Kopecky!
🧠📸🪸
Open access @ESA_org doi.org/10.1002/eap....
A novel, field-tested strategy to promote reef resilience.
Bravo, Kai Kopecky!
🧠📸🪸
Open access @ESA_org doi.org/10.1002/eap....
July 29, 2025 at 4:52 PM
After marine heatwaves, removing dead coral skeletons cuts macroalgae in half and boosts coral recruitment 5-fold.
A novel, field-tested strategy to promote reef resilience.
Bravo, Kai Kopecky!
🧠📸🪸
Open access @ESA_org doi.org/10.1002/eap....
A novel, field-tested strategy to promote reef resilience.
Bravo, Kai Kopecky!
🧠📸🪸
Open access @ESA_org doi.org/10.1002/eap....
Reposted by Adrian Stier
Just wrote and submitted a paper with another co-author in less than a week as a follow up to our Froehlich et al. 2021 pub (below), focused on comparing the U.S. Seafood Executive Order from 2020 to the one that was just released in 2025. Preprint coming soon 👀
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Securing a sustainable future for US seafood in the wake of a global crisis
The United States seafood industry is undergoing rapid change, as a result of the current trade war with China, ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, and …
www.sciencedirect.com
April 25, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Just wrote and submitted a paper with another co-author in less than a week as a follow up to our Froehlich et al. 2021 pub (below), focused on comparing the U.S. Seafood Executive Order from 2020 to the one that was just released in 2025. Preprint coming soon 👀
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
New in Coral Reefs ! 🐟🪸 Our review of how coral-associated fishes boost coral health by enhancing oxygenation, nutrients, and defense—key allies for coral resilience. With Craig Osenberg and Tory Chase!
drive.google.com/open?id=1s57...
#coralreef #marineecology
drive.google.com/open?id=1s57...
#coralreef #marineecology
April 2, 2025 at 8:31 PM
New in Coral Reefs ! 🐟🪸 Our review of how coral-associated fishes boost coral health by enhancing oxygenation, nutrients, and defense—key allies for coral resilience. With Craig Osenberg and Tory Chase!
drive.google.com/open?id=1s57...
#coralreef #marineecology
drive.google.com/open?id=1s57...
#coralreef #marineecology
Reposted by Adrian Stier
Sea Grant is a powerhouse for coastal communities! Through research, education, and outreach, it helps protect marine ecosystems, support sustainable fisheries, and boost coastal economies. Sea Grant keeps our waters and communities thriving. We need sea grant!
www.pressherald.com/2025/03/01/m...
www.pressherald.com/2025/03/01/m...
Maine Sea Grant in jeopardy after Trump administration terminates $4.5 million grant program
The move to discontinue the four-year agreement — which comes amid the White House's efforts to slash the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's budget — leaves the fishery organization’s p...
www.pressherald.com
March 1, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Sea Grant is a powerhouse for coastal communities! Through research, education, and outreach, it helps protect marine ecosystems, support sustainable fisheries, and boost coastal economies. Sea Grant keeps our waters and communities thriving. We need sea grant!
www.pressherald.com/2025/03/01/m...
www.pressherald.com/2025/03/01/m...
To all my colleagues in government who work tirelessly to try to make our world a better place, I'm so sorry you're going through this and am so grateful for your service, thank you ❤️
February 21, 2025 at 4:36 PM
To all my colleagues in government who work tirelessly to try to make our world a better place, I'm so sorry you're going through this and am so grateful for your service, thank you ❤️
🌊🚨 We're hiring ! 🚨 🪸 a specialist to conduct Management Strategy Evaluation for coral reef restoration! Collaborate with Jameal Samhouri (NOAA) and Darcy Bradley (TNC)
Skills: Quant analysis, Ecosystem modeling, Marine ecology.
🗓️ Apply: recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02914
pls RT!
Skills: Quant analysis, Ecosystem modeling, Marine ecology.
🗓️ Apply: recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02914
pls RT!
Coral Restoration Assistant Specialist, Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara
University of California Santa Barbara is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu
February 5, 2025 at 8:04 PM
🌊🚨 We're hiring ! 🚨 🪸 a specialist to conduct Management Strategy Evaluation for coral reef restoration! Collaborate with Jameal Samhouri (NOAA) and Darcy Bradley (TNC)
Skills: Quant analysis, Ecosystem modeling, Marine ecology.
🗓️ Apply: recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02914
pls RT!
Skills: Quant analysis, Ecosystem modeling, Marine ecology.
🗓️ Apply: recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02914
pls RT!
Craig and I have a new paper out today in Current Biology highlighting the key role of fishes and invertebrates in driving coral resilience www.cell.com/current-biol...
How fishes and invertebrates impact coral resilience
Adrian Stier and Craig Osenberg discuss how understudied coral-associated fishes and
invertebrates can both enhance and erode coral resilience.
www.cell.com
July 8, 2024 at 5:22 PM
Craig and I have a new paper out today in Current Biology highlighting the key role of fishes and invertebrates in driving coral resilience www.cell.com/current-biol...
Raine Detmer offers important insight into connectivity and grazer effects in Southern California !
Modeling grazer-mediated effects of demographic and material connectivity on giant kelp metapopulation dynamics
www.int-res.com/abstracts/me...
Modeling grazer-mediated effects of demographic and material connectivity on giant kelp metapopulation dynamics
www.int-res.com/abstracts/me...
January 11, 2024 at 5:37 PM
Raine Detmer offers important insight into connectivity and grazer effects in Southern California !
Modeling grazer-mediated effects of demographic and material connectivity on giant kelp metapopulation dynamics
www.int-res.com/abstracts/me...
Modeling grazer-mediated effects of demographic and material connectivity on giant kelp metapopulation dynamics
www.int-res.com/abstracts/me...
Just published: 🦀 Quick Guide to Coral Crabs! w @OsenbergLab in @CurrentBiology Take a crabtastic voyage into the fascinating world of Trapezia. Learn about their unique biology, habitat, and vital role in coral ecosystems. #MarineBiology www.cell.com/current-biol...
January 10, 2024 at 9:36 PM
Just published: 🦀 Quick Guide to Coral Crabs! w @OsenbergLab in @CurrentBiology Take a crabtastic voyage into the fascinating world of Trapezia. Learn about their unique biology, habitat, and vital role in coral ecosystems. #MarineBiology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Pete's new paper on algae is important and interesting www.cell.com/current-biol...
November 10, 2023 at 3:47 PM
Pete's new paper on algae is important and interesting www.cell.com/current-biol...