Home

Welcome to the Kelley Lab website!

The Kelley Lab is located at Washington State University, in Pullman, WA. Our research focuses on evolutionary and functional genomics and adaptation to extreme environments. We are interested in understanding how populations diverge and adapt to the environments they encounter. To identify and characterize specific genes and pathways that underlie adaptive change, we combine statistical and genomic approaches with knowledge from organismal and ecological studies. We study the genomic bases of physiological adaptations in vertebrates in extreme environments, such as hydrogen sulfide-rich and polar environments. We leverage natural systems to gain insight into basic biological processes, which has profound implications for our understanding of human health and disease.

Our work utilizes a range of technological and analytical methods for genomics. We also conduct fieldwork in Mexico and the Antarctic to study species that are specially adapted to their extreme environments in their natural environment. By correlating genetic changes to phenotypic outcomes using population genomics, we aim to link genomic changes to sources of selection.

 

Current topics in the laboratory include:

• Population genomics of fish living in sulfidic environments in Mexico
• Functional genomics to understand response to seasonal changes in brown bears
• Comparative genomics of polar fishes
• Conservation genomics of bears and other species in Carnivora

 

Lab mission: 

To address complex biological questions in an inclusive and supportive environment that cultivates curious, productive, and collaborative scientists

A view of the Palouse from Kamiak Butte, which is 20 miles north of campus.