Chris Cornwall

Dr. Chris Cornwall is a Research Fellow at the School of Earth and Environment, University of Western Australia, affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies since 2015. Previously, he held a Research Fellow position at the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (2013-2015). He earned his MSc from Victoria University of Wellington (2007) and PhD from Otago University, where his dissertation investigated macroalgal metabolic responses to ocean acidification.

Research Focus: Dr. Cornwall's work examines physiological adaptations of marine organisms to environmental change, with emphasis on:

• Interactive effects of organism physiology and environmental variability on coralline algae under ocean acidification/warming
• Roles of pH variability, hydrodynamics, and light in inorganic carbon acquisition
• Predictive modeling of ocean acidification impacts on ecosystem function

Publication Trends: His 15 most recent articles (2014-2017) demonstrate consistent focus on climate change impacts in marine systems. Key themes include: physiological responses of algae/coralline species to acidification, carbon acquisition strategies, microenvironmental buffering mechanisms, and experimental methodologies. Research consistently integrates field observations with controlled experiments across temperate and tropical ecosystems.

Student Advising: Actively mentors graduate and undergraduate researchers including:

• Andrew Warnes (MSc)
• Erik Krieger (MSc intern)
• Billy Moore (Undergraduate intern)
• Quentin D’Alexis (MSc intern)
• Svenja Pfeifer (Exchange student)
• Kurt Gilroy (UWA intern)

Collaborative Networks: Works extensively with international teams through the ARC Centre of Excellence, focusing on reef resilience and global change biology. Actively recruits PhD students aligned with his research programs.