Casey Mueller's Research
The theme throughout my research career has been comparative developmental physiology. My research projects have included the investigation of the trajectory of the development of organ systems, the interactions between developing organ systems, and the times when the systems are most susceptible to environmental stressors. These areas of research are at the forefront of current developmental physiological research.
I completed my PhD in 2011 in the lab of Dr. Roger Seymour at the University of Adelaide, Australia. My PhD research focused on respiratory physiology during the development of amphibians and the Australian lungfish. In the first physiological studies on Australian lungfish embryos, I found that temperature and oxygen level affected development, gas exchange, metabolism and energetic costs during development. I utilised novel mathematical approaches to relate differences in development rates of two amphibians to their energy partitioning, and quantified for the first time the role of egg perivitelline fluid in oxygen uptake of amphibian embryos.
During my postdoctoral research position (2011-2013) in Dr. Warren Burggren's Developmental Physiology lab at the University of North Texas, USA, my research included investigation of the cardiovascular, renal and acid-base systems of avian (chicken) and reptilian (alligator) embryos. I utilised both environmental and pharmacological stressors to examine the development and interactions of physiological systems. As part of my growing interest in developmental trajectories and critical windows, I also developed experiments to examine the effect of exposure to differing salinity levels at particular time points during brine shrimp development. This work is novel as it takes a new approach to examining developmental critical windows, examining not just when the critical windows are present but the more detailed nuances of stressor dose responses and the magnitude of the effect within the window.
I completed a postdoctoral fellowship (2013-2015) at McMaster University, supervised by Dr. Joanna Wilson. In collaboration with Dr. John Eme, who begins as an Assistant Professor at CSUSM in Fall 2017, I used different thermal regimes to examine plasticity in the developmental trajectory, growth and metabolism of lake whitefish embryos. This work expanded my research on critical windows by investigating if developmental metabolism is more susceptible to a temperature change at certain critical developmental time points.
In Fall 2015 I began as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at California State University San Marcos. The focus of the Mueller lab is to explore the interaction between the environment and developmental physiology in invertebrates, fishes and amphibians, particularly those found in California.
I completed my PhD in 2011 in the lab of Dr. Roger Seymour at the University of Adelaide, Australia. My PhD research focused on respiratory physiology during the development of amphibians and the Australian lungfish. In the first physiological studies on Australian lungfish embryos, I found that temperature and oxygen level affected development, gas exchange, metabolism and energetic costs during development. I utilised novel mathematical approaches to relate differences in development rates of two amphibians to their energy partitioning, and quantified for the first time the role of egg perivitelline fluid in oxygen uptake of amphibian embryos.
During my postdoctoral research position (2011-2013) in Dr. Warren Burggren's Developmental Physiology lab at the University of North Texas, USA, my research included investigation of the cardiovascular, renal and acid-base systems of avian (chicken) and reptilian (alligator) embryos. I utilised both environmental and pharmacological stressors to examine the development and interactions of physiological systems. As part of my growing interest in developmental trajectories and critical windows, I also developed experiments to examine the effect of exposure to differing salinity levels at particular time points during brine shrimp development. This work is novel as it takes a new approach to examining developmental critical windows, examining not just when the critical windows are present but the more detailed nuances of stressor dose responses and the magnitude of the effect within the window.
I completed a postdoctoral fellowship (2013-2015) at McMaster University, supervised by Dr. Joanna Wilson. In collaboration with Dr. John Eme, who begins as an Assistant Professor at CSUSM in Fall 2017, I used different thermal regimes to examine plasticity in the developmental trajectory, growth and metabolism of lake whitefish embryos. This work expanded my research on critical windows by investigating if developmental metabolism is more susceptible to a temperature change at certain critical developmental time points.
In Fall 2015 I began as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at California State University San Marcos. The focus of the Mueller lab is to explore the interaction between the environment and developmental physiology in invertebrates, fishes and amphibians, particularly those found in California.