Andrea Quattrini in the ROV control room during an Okeanos Explorer Expedition.
The Department of Invertebrate Zoology continues to bolster their reputation with the arrival of impressive, young researchers. The latest expert to board this ship of scientists is the new curator of anthozoans, Andrea Quattrini.
Going Boneless
Quattrini’s career began surrounded by farms and creeks as she attended Millersville University in her home state of Pennsylvania. The modest school boasts a strong marine biology program, which granted Quattrini her bachelor’s and seeded her marine aspirations. From there, she carried her ambitions to the University of North Carolina, Wilmington to obtain a Master’s degree, for which she researched larval fish distributions. Quattrini seemed poised to begin a fish-focused career.
Fortunately for the world of IZ, the Master’s-equipped Quattrini stayed at UNC to study the degree to which fishes associate with coral habitats in the deep sea. For six years she worked as a research technician with this lab and, by the end of it, Quattrini knew she wanted to pursue a career investigating deep-sea corals. Corals drew her in further because of their ability to survive subsampling, the complex ecosystems they can form, and the stories these ancient organisms tell us about our planet.
Also during this time, Quattrini earned her first submarine dive. She boarded the Johnson Sea-Link as a technician, introducing her to the awe inspiring deep sea. “It’s super humbling to be in a place no one has ever been before,” Quattrini recalls, “I thought, ‘I’m going to do this for as long as I can’... I was hooked.” At the time, she could not predict the future of her career, but she knew the deep sea and corals needed to be in it. When Quattrini finally decided to leave UNC, she returned to Pennsylvania to begin a PhD program at Temple University. There, she fully transitioned into octocoral research, solidifying her status as an invertebrate zoologist.
Paramuricea, a common genus of deep-sea octocorals.
Reading Genes & Going Green
Over the course of her career, Quattrini blazed trails in genetics. She began in her doctoral years with genetic work on octocorals. Most recently, though, she demonstrated her expertise with an ambitious postdoctoral project at Harvey Mudd College. There, she worked to create a robust evolutionary tree of anthozoans - from soft corals to stony corals to anemones. Common genetic techniques like DNA barcoding translate poorly to Anthozoa and many other invertebrate groups, so species classification often depends on morphological analyses that can, at times, be unreliable. Quattrini countered this problem by developing a new genetic approach - target enrichment of ultraconserved elements and exons. She hopes to employ this new technique to help reassess anthozoans and identify new species going forward. Quattrini also plans to use this new information to see how anthozoans diversified in response to past ocean chemistry changes. As human impact transforms the oceans today, this research may reveal how organisms can cope, allowing us to perhaps predict what will happen in the future
Several agencies have recruited Quattrini because of her concern for human impact. NOAA, for example, funds her to identify vulnerable habitats using her genetic tools. Quattrini aids in the NOAA Restore Act by examining ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico, how they have responded to the Deepwater Horizon spill, and how they might respond in the future. Another NOAA project has Quattrini inform them of the species interactions throughout the Gulf in an effort to expand boundaries for the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. These projects set the tone for Quattrini’s character; she is not only a talented geneticist, she wants to take action.
Quattrini on a cruise in Whitard Canyon, Ireland, with an ROV in the background.
Team Player
In college, Quattrini roughed it with her rugby team when she wasn’t studying for biology. Now, instead of tackling people on a field, she is tackling the field of invertebrate zoology with a new team. Despite being the newbie, the ensemble cast of NMNH (which includes another new curator, John Pfeiffer) looks forward to her fresh perspective. Her work with community structure and species outside of Anthozoa means many projects besides her own will benefit from her presence. She also looks to take advantage of the Smithsonian’s international appeal to raise the potential of her research. Quattrini’s collaborative spirit has already served her well, as she has advised several Okeanos Explorer dives as a shore-side and ship-side scientist. She wishes to merge her Okeanos work with her new curatorial position by creating an “exploration command center” for the IZ department. She imagines in-person gatherings with her fellow Smithsonian scientists to view telepresence explorations, multiplying the number of expert eyes on each run. This could set a precedent for the marine science community to establish these command centers in more institutions and pool together our global knowledge.
Quattrini isn’t just concerned with connecting her peers, though. She has high hopes for the next generation too. Quattrini works hard to ensure young scientists today are more aware of these opportunities. “I didn’t realize you could get internships and be in a research lab as an undergrad,” she says, “or that there are financial resources available out there, because nobody told me.” While at Harvey Mudd College, she uplifted several young women from Los Angeles by teaching them molecular techniques that are typically inaccessible. She celebrates the freedom in her new position to continue mentoring students and conduct her own research without the burdens of academia.
The museum setting is new for Quattrini, but she delights in it. Reveling in her chance to meet all types of guests, she says, “hands on experience is really important for education, and what I love about this place is that I can engage with the public as much as I want!” She especially looks forward to interacting with kids, who she hopes will grow up appreciating the natural wonders. “Go to the beach, go camping,” she advises, “just take a moment and enjoy this world."
By Jaimee-Ian Rodriguez
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