Rate My Professor Kelsey Pool

Dr. Kelsey Pool is a lecturer and research fellow holding a joint position between the University of Western Australia School of Agriculture and Environment and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. As the Lefroy Research Fellow, her research centers on the impacts of environmental factors on animal reproduction, particularly how endocrine-disrupting chemicals, phytoestrogens, and climate change affect fertility in sheep and cattle production systems. She employs multigenerational Drosophila melanogaster models alongside livestock studies to investigate sperm biology, morphology, motility, viability, and preservation, as well as strategies for measuring ovine fetal physiology in situ, improving neonatal cognitive function in twin lambs, and enhancing climate resilience in Western Australian livestock. Pool actively advocates for the integration of applied and fundamental research in agricultural science, emphasizing producer involvement and the use of livestock as models for mammalian fertility. She contributes to science communication and outreach, especially in regional communities, and coordinates the 'Food for Thought' public seminar series.

Pool earned her PhD in reproductive seasonality from the University of Sydney and INRA, Nouzilly, France, in late 2020, with research leading to the registration of a commercial Australian product for improving ovine reproductive efficiency. Her career includes postdoctoral work at UWA following her PhD, where she has driven industry-relevant outcomes, such as running the WA Semen Standards laboratory central to an Australian-first livestock semen testing company. Key publications include 'Ecological and reproductive consequences of endocrine disrupting chemicals in agricultural systems' (Payne & Pool, 2026, Reproduction & Fertility), 'Development of a sperm morphology assessment standardization training tool' (Seymour et al., 2025, Biology Methods and Protocols), 'Use of a sperm morphology assessment standardisation training tool improves the accuracy of novice sperm morphologists' (Seymour et al., 2025, Scientific Reports), 'Oestrogenic metabolite equol negatively impacts the functionality of ram spermatozoa' (Pool et al., 2021), and 'Exogenous melatonin advances the ram breeding season' (Pool et al., 2020). She has received the 2024 Young Tall Poppy Award, Animal Ethics 3Rs Award (2022), Sheep CRC legacy award (2019), Christian Rowe Thornett scholarship (2018), and Murray Black Award (2018). Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals such as Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, and Climate Action.