Plankton represent the foundation of the marine food chain. As such, their vitality determines the health of the ocean ecosystems in general. For this reason, there is much concern and interest in the impact of climate change and environmental pollution on the global ocean. Dr Bowler studies the genetic effects of environmental changes on ancient diatoms in an effort to predict the ability of today's plankton to adapt to anticipated stress caused by climate change. To analyze the evolutionary record he gathers plankton fossils from deep ocean deposits around the world.
Dr. Bowler is a scientific coordinator of the Tara Oceans expedition, which is providing a global analysis of plankton at a time when climate change and marine environmental threats are causing rapid extinctions and ecosystem breakdowns in the world’s oceans. He is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization. His awards include a Silver Medal from the CNRS (Centre Nationnal de la Recherche Scientifique) in 2010 and a Fondation Louis D. Grand Prix from the Institut de France in 2015. This year he is a Grass Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Research