What?
Join our immersive summer school to dive into the global change biology of marine and freshwater ecosystems in the Anthropocene on recently emerging topics and approaches. Through lectures, hands-on practicals, field trips and data analysis sessions, students will receive in-depth knowledge how environmental change affects coral symbiosis, marine soundscapes and coastal ecosystems, as well as freshwater disease ecology.
Where?
The summer school will be held at Perpignan University, France and will last 3 weeks. It will take place form June 8th to 26th 2026.
Who?
The summer school is open to Master’s and PhD students of Across partner universities interested in marine biology, freshwater ecology, climate change impacts, conservation, and environmental sciences on timely subjects and approaches.
Format & Experience
Each module will include lectures and expert-led seminars, hands-on practical and lab work, field trips and group research projects. We will also organize social events (poster sessions, group dinners).
Orgaziners
Junior Professor Dr. Claudia Pogoreutz, CRIOBE : Coral Symbiosis in a Changing Ocean: “Discover how coral–microbe symbioses function, why they are so vulnerable to warming and pollution, and how researchers use model organisms to predict coral reef futures.”
Junior Professor Dr. Lucia Di Iorio, CEFREM : Marine Soundscapes & Coastal Ecosystems: “Learn the wealth of information provided in marine soundscapes and to reveal biotic-abiotic interactions and how they can serve to study effects of climate change and human activity on biodiversity and habitat condition.”
Junior Professor Dr. Ronaldo De Carvalho Augusto, IHPE: Ecology & Emergence of Disease in Freshwater Systems: “Investigate how climate warming, pollution, and land-use influence pathogen dynamics and the spread of emerging diseases at the land–ocean interface.”
Training will involve the participation of guest lecturers.
This International School would not be possible without the generous support of Across and UPVD.
Program
The summer school will tackle very different aspects of aquatic biology and ecology, and will be divided in three modules:
Module 1 — Coral Symbiosis in a Changing Ocean
Instructor: Claudia Pogoreutz
Topics & activities include:
- Cnidarian ecophysiology & symbiosis (corals and their relatives)
- Anthropocene impacts on reef resilience
- Mediterranean field explorations
- Coral microbiology workshops
- Heat-stress experiments on symbiotic sea anemone models
- Biomolecular approaches: DNA extraction, PCR, stress biomarkers
- Data analysis & poster sessions
Module 2 — Marine Soundscapes & Coastal Ecosystems
Instructor: Lucia Di Iorio
Topics & activities include:
- Introduction to ecoacoustics
- Biotic–abiotic interactions in coastal habitats
- Underwater acoustics & signal processing
- Acoustic data collection during field trips
- Analysis of fish choruses, noise impacts & acoustic biodiversity
- Group projects based on real acoustic datasets
Module 3 — Ecology & Emergence of Disease in Freshwater Systems
Instructor: Ronaldo De Carvalho Augusto
Topics & activities include:
- The land–ocean continuum as an ecological gradient
- Climate change impacts on freshwater habitats
- Parasites as indicators of environmental change
- Life-cycle ecology & virulence
- Field sampling in southeastern France
- Host identification, parasite detection & molecular tools
Integrated conceptual models & student presentations