My name is Kate M. Quigley, I am a Principal Research Scientist at Minderoo Foundation, one of Australasia’s largest philanthropies and Research Director of the Minderoo Exmouth Research Laboratory (MERL). I am also a DECRA Fellow at James Cook University and hold an adjunct research positions at the University of Western Australia.

 

I am interested in theoretical and applied molecular ecology.

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As a molecular ecologist, my current research focusses on understanding adaptation and the genomic basis of stress tolerance and resilience of coral reef organisms across the Indo-Pacific and Indian Oceans. I use ‘omics tools (population genomic, transcriptomic, metagenomic) and  reproductive biology with field, experimental, and modelling methods to understand what makes some species resistant to stress while others are more vulnerable.

 

More broadly, I am interested in questions relating to symbiosis and adaptation across seascapes. This includes understanding the genetic and environmental drivers of symbiosis and the introgression of adaptive traits (like thermal tolerance) across metapopulations - from both a theoretical and empirical standpoint.

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I am also interested in developing models (genetic/statistical) to understand the marine environment and support ocean conservation and management.