Mila Grinblat
PhD Candidate
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)
Mila was born in Russia and moved to Israel with her family when she was six. Since the sea has always been her passion, she completed a BSc degree in Marine Biotechnology (Magna cum laude) at the Ruppin Academic Centre College, Israel. In 2016 she completed her Msc degree in Zoology focused on ecology and environmental quality under the supervision of prof. Yossi Loya in Tel-Aviv University, Israel. Her research focused on mesophotic reef stony coral reproduction and effects of ocean acidification on coral physiology and fluorescence. In 2017, she decided to move to Australia in order to fulfill her dream and study the corals of the biggest reef in the world, the Great Briar Reef. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at James Cook University under the joint supervision of Prof. David Miller, Dr. Peter Cowman and Dr. Ira Cooke, combined with external supervision by Prof. Yossi Loya (Tel-Aviv University). Her research aims to combine ecological and molecular approaches in order to obtain a bigger view on reproduction, sex change and determination in stony corals and implement molecular approaches in order to assess the speciation of mushroom corals worldwide.
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