Congrats Kendyl (NSF REU) and Kate (BES Intern)! What a productive and fast summer this year.

Check out their posters on FigShare and blog post on The Filter Feed

gurr-lab.com/blog

Our experiments this summer came to a close with a well-planned field deployment by Anna Lee. Anna, Louis Plough, Madeline Young, and Sam Gurr deployed thousands of heat primed and naive oysters from 12 biparental families to WIllapa Bay and Netarts during a single tide cycle - with multiparameter Sondes. What a feat!

Be sure to check out the forthcoming products generated by Anna Lee and Rhian Taylor-Welch documenting these experiments (posters, presentations, papers, and more!)

Our deployment at Netarts Bay was featured by Pearl Point Oyster Co.’s instagram, check it out at @pearpointoyster

Thank you Alicia, Anna, Rhian, Kate, and Kendyl for representing the lab and your work with wonderful posters and informative presentations for industry, academic, and public audiences!

Be sure to check out their posters on FigShare!

Time is going fast for this one, reach out to Samuel Gurr ASAP!

samuel.gurr@oregonstate.edu

PhD in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Science at Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, Oregon State University (Newport, Oregon, USA)

We are seeking one graduate student (PhD) to work in collaboration with academic and federal partners to bolster return for oyster hatcheries and farmers on the US Pacific Coast. The mentorship team includes the Gurr Lab (PI, Samuel Gurr; OSU) and the USDA Pacific Shellfish Research Unit (Drs. Louis Plough, Neil Thomspon, Bernarda Calla, and Brett Dumbauld), each host laboratories at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon. Our goal is to provide meaningful augmentation of the existing breeding program (USDA Pacific Oyster Genomic Selection or POGS) to a depth of physiological and molecular mechanisms underpinning highest performance genotypes and their propensity to exhibit predictive economic traits, refining protocols for hatchery enhancement and increasing return for growers.

Goals include, but not limited to, the following:

1) investigate genotype-by-environment effects among high-performance families

2) establish dose–response relationships for early-life experience that confer enduring advantages and quantify the extent to which genotyped families exhibit gains

3) determine the distribution and intensity of Pacific oyster mortalities due to diseases and environmental stressors along the Pacific coast.

The student will design and execute experiments at Hatfield Marine Science Center where Gurr Lab and USDA host flow-through seawater systems, the Oregon Coastal Ocean Simulation Laboratory, a functional breeding center (POGS), raft repository, quarantine laboratories, etc. Field components are also expected and will require the candidate to travel to (at least) CA, WA, and AZ to collect data and assist hatchery technicians. Facilitated by mentorship of the academic advisor (PI Gurr), the student will be responsible for data management and analysis (open notebook and data repositories), biannual self-assessment and presentation of project progress and findings at industry-centered conferences, and submission of manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication.

A general background in genomics, cellular biology, and bioenergetics is required. Candidates with prior benchwork, research, bioinformatics and coding, and/or commercial industry experience (oyster farm, hatchery, etc.) are preferred.

A preferred start date for Winter term 2027 advised by Dr. Samuel Gurr and co-advised by one or more members of the USDA ARS Pacific Shellfish Research Unit (Drs. Louis Plough, Neil Thomspon, Bernarda Calla, and Brett Dumbauld)

Start Date: Winter 2027

Application Deadline: open until filled

To Apply: Please send the following materials via email to Samuel Gurr (samuel.gurr@oregonstate.edu)

(1) Cover letter describing qualifications, career goals, and academic interests

(2) CV with contact information for three references

(3) unofficial transcript(s)

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Resazurin is a low cost, high-throughput proxy for aerobic metabolism, however application of this tool to screen larvae and predict adult performance remains unknown.

Our team was fortunate to leverage full sib oyster families with different breeding values for these trials

We had a fantastic turnout of USDA collaborators and Gurr Lab members.

Oysters were shucked, discs were hucked, and smiles were had through the woods of Newport! :)

Dr. Kris Bauer, Jeremy Jennings, and MacKenna Hainey have been hard at work to build and start a new flow-through experiment system to control oxygen, temperature, and pCO2 to 150+ crab tanks!

Seawater is flowing and so is our excitment!

A relaxed, guided workshop where participants can explore various materials and mediums at their own pace. Perfect for creatives of all skill levels looking to reconnect with their craft—or try something entirely new.

Today marks the first day of Spring Term at OSU 2026.

We are pleased to introduce the new (first!) graduate student on the Gurr Lab team, Anna Lee!

Ten half sib families were samples for microbiota, and RNAseq to understand how moderate stress affects thermal tolerance!

Welcome to the Gurr Lab page. Our team at Oregon State University located at the Hatfield Marine Science Station in Newport, Oregon.

Stay tuned for lab news!