Susann Rossbach

Alumni and Former Staff

​​Ph.D. Student

Research Interests

​My main research interest is in the autoecology of marine benthic calcifiers – especially in the face of global change. In the framework of my PhD, I am investigating the physiology of Tridacnidae (Giant clams) in the Red Sea under several stressors as well as their overall function within reefs.
In previous studies during my Undergraduate and Masters studies, I worked on cold-water coral species of the Baltic Sea and Chilean Fjord region, assessing the effect of alternating pH and water temperatures on their physiological performance. 

Selected Publications

  • Giant clams in shallow reefs: UV-resistance mechanisms of Tridacninae in the Red Sea 
    Susann Rossbach, Sebastian Overmans, Altynay Kaidarova, Jürgen Kosel, Susana Agustí & Carl...
    Coral Reefs, (2020)
  • Differential thermal tolerance between algae and corals may trigger the proliferation of algae in coral reefs 
    Andrea Anton, Janna L. Randle, Francisca C. Garcia, Susann Rossbach, Joanne I. Ellis, Mich...
    Glob Change Biol.; 00:1-12., (2020)
  • Iridocytes Mediate Photonic Cooperation Between Giant Clams (Tridacninae) and Their Photosynthetic Symbionts 
    Susann Rossbach1, Ram Chandra Subedi, Tien Khee Ng, Boon S. Ooi and Carlos M. Duarte
    Front. Mar. Sci. 7:465, (2020)
  • Light-dependent calcification in Red Sea giant clam Tridacna maxima 
    S. Rossbach, V. Saderne, A. Anton, and C.M. Duarte
    Biogeosciences, 16, pp. 2635-2650, (2019)
  • Microplastic removal by Red Sea giant clam (Tridacna maxima) 
    S. Arossa, C. Martin, S. Rossbach, C.M. Duarte
    Environmental Pollution, 252, pp. 1257-1266, (2019)
  • Tissue-Specific Microbiomes of the Red Sea Giant Clam Tridacna maxima Highlight Differential Abundance of Endozoico... 
    S. Rossbach, A. Cardenas, G. Perna, C.M. Duarte and C.R. Voolstra
    Front. Microbiol., 10:2661, (2019)

Education

  • B.Sc., Biology, Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany, 2013
  • M.Sc., Biological Oceanography, Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany, 2016

Professional Profile

  • Aug 2017 – present: Ph.D. student, Tarek Jufalli Chair, RSRC, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
  • June 2017: Course director, Institute for Marine Biology, Isola del Giglio, Italy
  • Sept. 2016 – Feb. 2017: VSRP Intern, Tarek Jufalli Chair, RSRC, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
  • 2016: Scientific Diver/Research Assistant, CAU Kiel, Coastal&Continental Shelf Research, Kiel, Germany
  • 2015: Scientific Diver/Research Assistant, Fundación San Ignacio de Huinay, Huinay, Chile
  • 2011 – 2014: Research Assistant, GEOMAR – Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany

Scientific and Professional Membership

  • ​Deutsche Gesellschaft für Meeresforschung (DGM)

KAUST Affiliations

  • KAUST Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
  • Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE) ​​​

Research Interests Keywords

Marine ecology Benthic Ecology Climate Change studies Physiology