Joanna Kelley

Joanna Kelley is a Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Director of the Center for Marine Genomics, and Associate Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California Santa Cruz. Her NIH- and NSF-funded research integrates high-throughput sequencing, population genomics, and computational approaches to understand how organisms adapt to environmental change, particularly in extreme environments. Her research spans diverse systems, including hydrogen sulfide–adapted fishes, polar marine species, and hibernating mammals, providing insight into physiological and evolutionary responses to environmental stress. Kelley earned her B.A. in Mathematics and Biology from Brown University and her Ph.D. in Genome Sciences from the University of Washington. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago and Stanford University. She was awarded a L’Oréal Fellowship for Women in Science. Prior to joining University of California Santa Cruz in 2023, Kelley was a faculty member at Washington State University where she received the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Junior Award for Independent Research Excellence. She was also a Fulbright España Fellow at the Pompeu Fabra University. In addition to her research, she is committed to mentoring and training the next generation of scientists in genomics and evolutionary biology.