Rate My Professor Bill Leggat

Leggat's research centers on the molecular mechanisms of coral holobiont responses to environmental stressors, emphasizing the transcriptome and metabolome of the symbiotic dinoflagellate Symbiodinium, its coral host, and associated bacteria. His work links transcriptional, proteomic, and metabolomic changes to climate change, anthropogenic impacts, symbiosis, thermal stress, and coral bleaching, with a focus on plant cell and molecular biology. He has authored over 88 journal articles, 4 conference papers, and 1 book chapter from 1998 to 2025. Highly cited publications include "The diversity and coevolution of Rubisco, plastids, pyrenoids, and chloroplast-based CO2-concentrating mechanisms in algae" (1998), "Metabolic interactions between algal symbionts and invertebrate hosts" (2008), "Climate change disables coral bleaching protection on the Great Barrier Reef" (2016), "Light-responsive cryptochromes from a simple multicellular animal, the coral Acropora millepora" (2007), and "Rapid coral decay is associated with marine heatwave mortality events on reefs" (2019). Recent publications address subtropical coral photoendosymbiosis (2025), ocean warming impacts on temperate corals (2024), and coral microbiomes. Leggat has coordinated MARI3410 Coral Reef Biology, Ecology and Sustainability (2018-2020) and co-coordinated BIOL1001 Molecules, Cells and Organisms (2019). He has secured grants from the Australian Research Council, Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and other organizations, contributing to advancements in coral reef health monitoring and resilience.