Courtesy of Brian Sidlauskas

Tulane professor Brian Sidlauskas became director of the Tulane Biodiversity Research Institute (TUBRI) on Sept. 1.

Tulane University has a new caretaker of one of its most unusual treasures — millions of fish preserved in jars. 

Brian Sidlauskas, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, officially became director of the Tulane Biodiversity Research Institute on Sept. 1 after the retirement of longtime figure Hank Bart.

The role places him at the head of the Royal D. Suttkus Fish Collection, widely recognized as the largest preserved post-larval fish collection in the world, with more than seven million specimens already housed. 

Sidlauskas, who previously worked at Oregon State University for 15 years, said the move to Tulane offered opportunities on a much larger scale.

“The collection at OSU was about a quarter million specimens,” Sidlauskas said. “We’re in the process of absorbing 2 million more that came in from another collection in Louisiana that lost its funding.”

The Suttkus Collection was founded in 1950 by Royal D. Suttkus, who worked with graduate students and environmental consultants to document fish diversity. 

Today, researchers worldwide borrow specimens much like they would check out books from a library. Some specimens date back to the 19th century, including rare finds such as the only known individual of a pocket shark species.

Sidlauskas explained that his new director role is broader than the curator position he previously held. While a curator oversees upkeep and cataloging, the director manages both the collection staff and TUBRI’s biodiversity informatics team, which develops tools such as databases, machine learning models and digital 3D fish scans.

Short-term plans include modernizing facilities and purchasing a micro-CT scanner to allow detailed imaging of specimens. Long-term, Sidlauskas hopes to expand DNA sampling and broaden the ways researchers can use the collection.

“We want to continue to expand, but to be measured,” Sidlauskas said.

Despite challenges such as being housed in a World War II bunker and federal funding hurdles under the current administration, Sidlauskas said he is confident in the collection’s future. “This is one of the biggest milestones in my career,” he said. “I was excited to try something new and to tackle challenges at a larger level than was possible before.”

For students, the collection represents more than jars on a shelf. Sidlauskas chairs Tulane’s undergraduate research task force and encourages undergraduates to get involved. 

“Reach out to faculty or graduate students, introduce yourself … get connected,” he said. “We all need an undergraduate that’s willing to learn how to measure fish.”

Beyond research, Sidlauskas sees public awareness as vital to the collection’s future. 

“The collection is used for everything from fish surveys and microplastic research to macroevolutionary studies that help us to ask what the ancestors of modern species may have looked like,” he said.