Patrick Sun

Patrick Sun is currently teaching Fundamentals of Organismal Biology, Vertebrate Biology Lecture and Lab and General Ecology. Sun’s research interests focus on the interaction of stress tolerance with environmental factors in the context of organism adaptation to changing environments. His research examines differences in stress response to pollution and climate change in different populations, between sexes, and at different ages. His research combines lab work that examines antioxidant regulators (e.g. the Nrf2 protein) and protein regulatory pathways (e.g. proteasome) with field work that characterizes environmental conditions (e.g. heavy metal contamination and temperature stress). His research also incorporates multi-generational studies to examine the potential for selection to modify stress responses. Research and professional development has taken him across the globe from local destinations such as Catalina and the Santa Cruz Islands to international locations such as Hong Kong and Thailand where he was instilled with a wonder of God as our creator and a love for God’s people. Sun hopes to equip the next generation of environmental stewards that will safeguard our natural resources and the people that depend on those resources. Sun conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Southern California.