Rate My Professor Evelyn Armstrong

Dr Evelyn Armstrong is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Marine Science at the University of Otago. She maintains the NIWA/University of Otago Research Centre for Oceanography's phytoplankton culture collection, which includes isolates sourced from Antarctic and subantarctic waters, with new strains added periodically. Her research specializations encompass nutrient and photo-physiological experiments using these cultures to better understand the roles of phytoplankton in their natural waters and how they may be affected by climate change. Key areas of focus include the physiological processes and elemental composition of subantarctic and Antarctic phytoplankton, as well as the biodiversity of subantarctic phytoplankton species. She is actively involved in the Future Ocean Research Theme and contributes to studies on Southern Ocean biogeochemistry through phytoplankton research.

Armstrong's career history reflects contributions across marine microbiology and phytoplankton ecology. Early work addressed marine natural products and antifouling strategies, including the symbiotic role of marine microbes on living surfaces and the development of marine natural product-based antifouling paints. Her publications demonstrate significant impact in these fields. Highly cited papers include 'Marine phytoplankton temperature versus growth responses from polar to tropical waters–outcome of a scientific community-wide study' (Boyd et al., PLOS ONE, 2013), 'Physiological responses of a Southern Ocean diatom to complex future ocean conditions' (Boyd et al., Nature Climate Change, 2016), 'The symbiotic role of marine microbes on living surfaces' (Armstrong et al., Hydrobiologia, 2001), 'The development of a marine natural product-based antifouling paint' (Burgess et al., Biofouling, 2003), 'Prevention of marine biofouling using natural compounds from marine organisms' (Armstrong et al., 2000), and 'Environmental controls on the growth, photosynthetic and calcification rates of a Southern Hemisphere strain of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi' (Feng et al., Limnology and Oceanography, 2017). Recent publications feature 'Marine phytoplankton impose strong selective pressures on in vitro microbiome assembly, but drift is the dominant process' (Morales et al., ISME Communications, 2025) and 'Light quality rather than oxidative stress impacts fucoxanthin content in Coscinodiscus radiatus and Cylindrotheca sp.' (Zarekarizi et al., New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 2025). These works highlight her influence on understanding phytoplankton responses to environmental stressors.