Rate My Professor Bill Leggat

Professor Bill Leggat serves as a Professor in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle, part of the College of Engineering, Science and Environment. He leads the Symbiosis Genomics group within the Discipline of Environmental Sciences and Management. His academic qualifications include a Doctor of Philosophy, a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science, and a Bachelor of Science with Honours, all obtained from James Cook University. Before joining the University of Newcastle, Leggat held the position of Associate Professor in Molecular and Cellular Biology at James Cook University from January 2014 to December 2017.

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.