Professor John Pandolfi

Professor Pandolfi is Chief Investigator and palaeoecologist at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, University of Queensland. He has broad research interests in marine palaeoecology, with emphasis on the effects of anthropogenic impacts and climate change on the recent past history and ecology of modern coral reefs.

Professor Pandolfi investigates long-term ecological and environmental time-series data over broad spatial scales to discover major past influences of natural variability, human impact, and climate change on coral reef resilience. This research program enables direct linkage among physical variables and biological responses; attempts to tease out the effects of human versus natural variability; provides natural baselines which managers can use to place restoration goals in context; unveils processes that contribute to the resilience of coral reefs over long time frames and changing environmental conditions, and fosters a deep temporal perspective of the role of climate change in coral reef ecology.