Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg
Germany
fellow
Carly D. Kenkel
2026-2027
Home institution
University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Country of origin (home institution)
United States
Discipline(s)
Earth, environmental and climate sciences
Theme(s)
Other
Fellowship dates
›
Biography
Carly D. Kenkel is the Wilford & Daris Zinsmeyer Early Career Chair in Marine Studies and associate professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California. Her lab studies eco-evolutionary dynamics structuring populations of tropical reef-building coral and their anemone cousins to understand patterns of adaptive diversity, predict responses to global climate change, and inform management interventions aimed at conserving genetic diversity and restoring ecosystem function.
Research Project
Do Biological Trade-Offs Limit Recovery Potential of a Key Caribbean Reef-Building Coral?
Caribbean coral reefs are a critical nexus of global biodiversity and support a range of ecosystem services valued at over $375 billion annually. But they are at imminent risk of extinction due to a combination of local and global threats. Therefore, a mechanistic understanding of the demographic factors contributing to population growth and persistence are essential for predicting and managing population recovery. This sabbatical project aims to develop a series of eco-evolutionary models for Caribbean staghorn coral to better understand the links between individual growth, fragmentation, survival, and reproduction and how interactions between these factors promote or inhibit population recovery.
Research Interests:
Ecology; evolution; coral reefs; climate change; genomics; symbiosis; physiology; local adaptation