Roger Williams University Researchers Establish New Model for Coral Research
A decade-long collaboration led by RWU’s Center for Economic and Environmental Development established methods for spawning, breeding and culturing a temperate coral, creating new opportunities to study coral biology, climate resilience and animal-microbe interactions.
A decade-long research collaboration led by Roger Williams University’s Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) researchers has established standardized methods for spawning, breeding and culturing a temperate coral species in the laboratory, creating new opportunities to study coral biology and how corals respond to ocean warming.
Led by Koty Sharp, CEED Director and Associate Professor of Marine Biology and Environmental Science, the multi-institutional collaboration developed methods for reliably culturing Astrangia poculata through its complete life cycle. The findings from research conducted between 2016 and 2025 are published in Frontiers in Marine Science.
The work establishes Astrangia poculata as a model organism for studying coral biology, including coral symbiosis, climate resilience and animal-microbe interactions. Because Astrangia is a temperate coral found in the Northeast, researchers can use it in the laboratory to investigate questions that also affect highly threatened tropical corals around the world.
“Having an experimental model species like Astrangia – one that we can predictably raise in the laboratory – opens up opportunities for innovating and applying research solutions to the urgent global coral reef crisis,” said Sharp.
This comes in a time when scientists are racing for solutions to a global coral reef crisis. The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) published a report emphasizing a sense of urgency, stating that periods of ocean warming and the resulting coral bleaching on tropical coral reefs are happening more often than ever before, making it less possible for the reefs to recover and rebuild after massive losses from warming events.
Sharp’s research also highlights RWU’s role as a hub for collaborative coral research. Each summer throughout the decade-long project, researchers from institutions across the country traveled to RWU for an annual collaborative research effort known as “Spawnfest.”
Participating researchers included scientists from Tufts University, College of the Holy Cross, Cornell University, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Texas State University and the Marine Biological Laboratory.
Researchers, faculty, staff and students collected Astrangia poculata through scuba diving in Rhode Island waters and brought the corals to CEED’s Wet Lab. The team worked together to refine techniques for inducing coral spawning, breeding the corals and supporting their growth in laboratory conditions.
RWU’s specialized facilities make it possible for researchers from multiple institutions to come together and conduct this work. The CEED Wet Lab provides the infrastructure needed to support coral spawning, breeding and culture while giving researchers opportunities to develop experiments and share expertise.
“Spawnfest” has become an important part of the collaboration, bringing researchers together for intensive periods of experimentation and discovery while creating opportunities for students to work directly with experts in coral biology.
“Over the course of the 10 years, as part of our annual collaborative ‘Spawnfest’ on RWU campus, students participated in every aspect of the research activities and collaborations,” said Sharp. “The students’ efforts are incredibly important to this initiative, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for them to engage in authentic research and get experience connecting with experts in the field.”
For RWU undergraduate students, the collaboration provides hands-on training in a national research network. Students have participated in planning meetings, experimental design, collection, laboratory research and the observation and documentation of coral spawning and development.
Sharp and her colleagues have been working since 2012 to develop Astrangia poculata as an experimental organism for studying the ecology and physiology of coral symbiosis. Reliable laboratory culture is an important step toward expanding its use as a model organism.
The collaboration has already produced several scientific advances, including the first gene “knock-in” in a hard coral using CRISPR methods. That advancement may help researchers investigate genes and metabolic processes that regulate how corals respond to increasing ocean temperatures.
The newly published methods now allow researchers to culture A. poculata through its complete life cycle, opening the door to new research into coral resilience and animal-microbe interactions.
As scientists and conservationists work to understand and protect coral reefs threatened by climate change and ocean warming, Sharp and her collaborators hope the small temperate coral found in the Northeast can help provide insights into challenges facing tropical corals around the world.
About CEED: As part of RWU's commitment to the Blue Economy at the local, regional, national, and global level, the Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) focuses on collaborative marine research, industry support, education, public outreach, and community engagement. CEED addresses critical challenges facing human health and the coastal environment by working with coastal communities to identify key marine resource issues, conduct applied scientific research, and share findings with stakeholders.
About RWU: Roger Williams University is a comprehensive university with a liberal arts core and professional programs, focused on marine science, law and society, and the designed and built environments, paired with a breadth of humanities and business programs. With campuses on the coast of Bristol and in the state capital of Providence, Rhode Island, our eight schools of study provide real-world learning experiences dedicated to social and environmental justice, small class sizes, and direct access to faculty and staff. Our students create powerful combinations of degrees, credentials, research and internship opportunities. Roger Williams University is ranked No. 35 Best Regional University in the North by U.S. News & World Report, among the 2025 Best Law Schools by The Princeton Review, and No. 48 in Academic Experience and No. 55 in Career Outcomes in the 2026 Poets & Quants Best Undergraduate Business School rankings; the RWU Extension School was also named No. 1 for Best Online Colleges in Rhode Island by Forbes. Our students graduate with a unique skill set and the passion to make an impact, becoming the changemakers and leaders our world needs.
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- September 02, 2026
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