Isis Genieys has begun a three-year PhD dedicated to studying coral resilience to marine heatwaves. Her research focuses on three key Pacific species: Acropora hyacinthus, Pocillopora acuta, and Porites lobata.
The project aims to identify solutions based on the phenotypic and (epi)genomic responses of thermotolerant corals. Planned work includes aquarium experiments at the ReefLab in Nouméa, mesocosm experiments at Ifremer in Tahiti, as well as molecular biology procedures (DNA extractions) and omics analyses (transcriptomics, genomics, and epigenomics).
The research seeks to better anticipate how coral reefs will respond to climate change and to inform reef management and restoration strategies across the Pacific. The PhD is co-supervised by Riccardo Rodolfo-Metalpa (UMR Entropie, New Caledonia) and Jérémie Vidal-Dupiol (IHPE, Montpellier, France).
