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ManagementYoung Koo Jin
PhD graduate
James Cook University
From 2005 to 2022, the main node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was headquartered at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland (Australia)
Young grew up in Kyoto, Japan. He undertook his Bsc and Honours in Marine Biology and Ecology with a supervisor, Sandie Degnan at the University of Queensland in Australia. His Honours research investigated transcriptional responses of heat shock family genes to heat stress in the intertidal abalone, Haliotis asinina in an ecological context. Following the completion of Honours, he went back to Japan and took molecular genetics jobs at Drosophila Genetic Resource Center, Center for Ecological Research (Kyoto University) and the Laboratory of Marine and Biological Function (Kyoto University), all based in Kyoto. Experiences during his career have shaped his passion for evolutionary patterns at the genetic level and interest in ecological genetics. He is currently undertaking his PhD at James Cook University under the supervision of Dr. Petra Lundgren (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority), Dr. Madeleine van Oppen (Australian Institute of Marine Science), Dr. Andrew Negri (AIMS) and Prof. Bette Willis (JCU). His PhD project aims to find multiple genetic markers that correlate with environmental gradients in coral populations and validate the association between the markers and phenotypic response. Identification of genetic loci for stress tolerance will allow spatial vulnerability mapping and will assist in implementing a range of conservation strategies, including better informed preservation and restoration efforts.
New DNA techniques are being used to understand how coral reacted to the end of the last ice age in order to better predict how they will cope with current changes to the climate. James Cook Univer
A new study on the effects of climate change in five tropical countries has found fisheries are in more trouble than agriculture, and poor people are in the most danger. Distinguished Profess
James Cook University researchers have found brightly coloured fish are becoming increasingly rare as coral declines, with the phenomenon likely to get worse in the future. Christopher Hemingson, a
Researchers working with stakeholders in the Great Barrier Reef region have come up with ideas on how groups responsible for looking after the reef can operate more effectively when the next bleaching
Abstract: As marine species adapt to climate change, their heat tolerance will likely be under strong selection. Individual variation in heat tolerance and its heritability underpin the potential fo
Abstract: The Reef Ecology Lab in KAUST’s Red Sea Research Center explores many aspects of movement ecology of marine organisms, ranging from adult migrations to intergenerational larval dispersal
Abstract: Macroalgal meadows are a prominent, yet often maligned component of the tropical seascape. Our work at Ningaloo reef in WA demonstrate that canopy forming macroalgae provide habitat for ad
Abstract: Sharks are generally perceived as strong and fearsome animals. With fossils dating back at least 420 million years, sharks are not only majestic top predators but they also outlived dinosa
Abstract: Connectivity plays a vital role in many ecosystems through its effects on fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes. Its consequences for populations and metapopulations have been
Abstract: Evolution of many eukaryotic organisms is affected by interactions with microbes. Microbial symbioses can ultimately reflect host’s diet, habitat range, and even body shape. However, how
Abstract: The past few years have seen unprecedented coral bleaching and mortality on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) but the consequences of this on biodiversity are not yet known. This talk will expl
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