Sofia Fortunato

Sofia Fortunato is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at James Cook University, affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. She holds a PhD in Evolutionary Developmental Biology from the University of Bergen, Norway, and a MSc in Microbiology. Her research focuses on integrating ecology, evolution, developmental biology, and genetics to understand calcification mechanisms and stress responses in cnidarians and sponges associated with coral reefs. She leads projects on sponge genomics and coral developmental biology.

Education:

• PhD in Evolutionary Developmental Biology, University of Bergen & Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology (2014)
• MSc in Microbiology, University of Bergen (Year not specified)

Research Interests:

• Coral and sponge genomics
• Molecular mechanisms of calcification
• Stress responses in marine organisms
• Evolutionary developmental biology of early animals
• Climate change impacts on coral reefs
• Microbial interactions in marine ecosystems

Key Projects:

• Genome project of calcareous sponges (e.g., Pericharax sp.) with ANU and LMU collaborators
• Calcification mechanisms in corals (collaboration with A. Moya and D. Miller)

Labs/Teams: Coral Genomics Group at James Cook University