Sonya Clegg

Professor Sonya Clegg is a Professor of Evolutionary Ecology and Tutorial Fellow at St Anne's College, University of Oxford. Her research focuses on understanding the processes driving genetic, morphological, and ecological divergence in wild vertebrate systems, particularly birds. She leads a long-term field project on silvereyes in Australia and explores genomic diversification, avian malaria, and evolutionary patterns in island populations.

Her work emphasizes the 'island syndrome'—repeated evolutionary changes in island-dwelling species—and integrates field studies with molecular genetics. Key projects include studying silvereyes on Heron Island, genomic drivers of dispersal, and the ecological impacts of avian malaria.

Professor Clegg collaborates extensively with researchers at the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology and the Natural History Museum (London). Her lab supports graduate students and visiting researchers, including Abby Williams, Ernest Ting Yu Wu, and Hisham Ali, among others.

No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned, but her contributions to evolutionary ecology and island biogeography are widely recognized. Her research spans conservation genetics, population connectivity, and the genetic basis of adaptation, with a focus on avian systems.