Kelly ​is interested in the molecular drivers behind the coral-algal symbiosis and how changing environmental conditions will alter this interaction. Her research at KAUST will study this symbiotic relationship using the model organisms Cassiopea (the upside-down jellyfish) and Aiptasia (sea anemones). She hopes to apply her research in the lab to understand the effects of climate change on reef corals.

​Coral reefs Symbiosis Molecular biology Ecological genomics Climate Change