The Kelley Lab is located at Washington State University, in Pullman, WA. Our research focuses on evolutionary 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. Our work utilizes a range of technological and analytical methods for genomics. We also climb Mexican volcanoes and explore Caribbean Islands for exotic species that are specially adapted to their extreme environments. By correlating genetic changes to phenotypic outcomes using population genomics, we hope to link genomic changes to sources of selection.

Current projects in the laboratory include:

• Studying the genomes of fish living in sulfidic environments in Mexico
• Measuring transcriptional changes in response to seasonal changes in brown bears
• Analyzing populations of a self-fertilizing hermaphroditic fish and the genetics of sex determination
• Interpreting the genome of an Antarctic fly

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