Ginger Armbrust
Ginger Armbrust, School of Oceanography, University of Washington
Phone Number: 206-616-1783
Email Address: armbrust@ocean.washington.edu
Dr. Ginger Armbrust is a marine microbiologist and Professor of Oceanography at the University of Washington. Ginger is also a founding member and the Director of the University’s newly established Center for Environmental Genomics, which brings together researchers with expertise in oceanography, microbiology, genomics, proteomics, engineering, flow cytometry and data visualization. Ginger and members of her lab use molecular approaches and combine lab-based and field-based studies to address basic questions about the function of marine ecosystems. The study of the ocean’s phytoplankton is a central research focus in the Armbrust Lab. These organisms are responsible for about 40% of the total amount of photosynthesis that occurs on our planet. They play a critical role in the global carbon cycle and ultimately in global climate. Because much of the organic carbon generated by phytoplankton is used by bacteria, the Armbrust Lab also studies bacterial/phytoplankton interactions.
Ginger is also Co-Director of the University of Washington's Pacific Northwest Center for Human Health and Ocean Studies. The Center was created to understand links between ocean processes and human health and its researchers investigate how environmental conditions trigger blooms of harmful algae in our marine waters, and how these blooms impact public health. The Center’s research is based on the premise that genetic and environmental variability defines the toxicity and dynamics of harmful algal blooms, the retention of toxin by shellfish, and the susceptibility of human populations to toxicological impacts.
