I am a senior research fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies; and holder of a prestigious ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA 2020 - 2022). I have a background in behavioural, spatial and marine ecology, and population genetics. Before completing a PhD at James Cook University in 2013, I worked extensively in bridging science and policy as well as conservation management. Since my PhD I held a number of postdoctoral positions at the Australian Insititue of Marine Science, James Cook University, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. In my current research I use molecular techniques to study the pace and mechanisms of genetic adaptation and transgenerational plasticity in coral species, and how these  translate into changes in assemblage composition with progressing climate change. Recently I have embarked on an adventure in evolutionary modeling to combine empirical genomic data with evolutionary theory in order to predict the fate of climate-sensitive ecosystems, such as coral reefs, in the Anthropocene.

Interests

Professional

• R (data wrnagling, graphing, stats, genomics, modeling, GIS)

Research

• coral reef ecology
• coral biology
• molecular ecology
• spatial analysis, GIS
• evolutionary modelling

Teaching

• coral reef ecology
• coral biology
• spatial analysis, GIS

Experience

• 2020 to 2022 - Senior Research Fellow (DECRA), ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University (Townsville)
• 2018 to 2020 - Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University (Townsville)
• 2015 to 2018 - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, AIMS@JCU & ARC CoECRS (Townsville, Australia)
• 2009 to 2015 - Research Officer (p/t), James Cook University (Townsville, Australia)
• 2006 to 2008 - Executive Project Manager / Research Officer, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Vacratot, Hungary)

Research Disciplines

• Ecology (0602)
• Microbiology (0605)
• Ecological Applications (0501)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Climate and Climate Change (9603)
• Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity (9608)

Awards

• 2017 - Award of Excellence in Research, James Cook University
• 2014 - Virginia Chadwick Award for Excellence in Scientific Publishing
• 2012 - Winner of the 3 Minute Thesis Competition at the Australian Institute of Marine Science
• 2012 - Best oral presentation – JCU School of Marine and Tropical Biology Symposium
• 2010 - Best Poster Award – JCU School of Marine and Tropical Biology Symposium
• 1999 - Prominent Student Award of the Hajdú Gusztáv Foundation

Fellowships

• 2017 - Lizard Island Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2020 to 2022 - ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

Memberships

• 2020 - councilor of the Australian Coral Reef Society

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Epstein H, Smith H, Cantin N, Mocellin V, Torda G and van Oppen M (2019) Temporal variation in the microbiome of Acropora coral species does not reflect seasonality. Frontiers In Microbiology, 10, Article: 1775, DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2019.01775.
• Epstein H, Torda G, Munday P and van Oppen M (2019) Parental and early life stage environments drive establishment of bacterial and dinoflagellate communities in a common coral. ISME Journal: multidisciplinary journal of microbial ecology, 13 (6), pp. 1635-1638, DOI:10.1038/s41396-019-0358-3.
• Epstein H, Torda G and van Oppen M (2019) Relative stability of the Pocillopora acuta microbiome throughout a thermal stress event. Coral Reefs, 38 (2), pp. 373-386, DOI:10.1007/s00338-019-01783-y.
• Epstein H, Smith H, Torda G and van Oppen M (2019) Microbiome engineering: enhancing climate resilience in corals. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 17 (2), pp. 100-108, DOI:10.1002/fee.2001.
• Hughes T, Kerry J, Baird A, Connolly S, Chase T, Dietzel A, Hill T, Hoey A, Hoogenboom M, Jacobson M, Kerswell A, Madin J, Mieog A, Paley A, Pratchett M, Torda G and Woods R (2019) Global warming impairs stock-recruitment dynamics of corals. Nature, 568 (7752), pp. 387-401, DOI:10.1038/s41586-019-1081-y.
• Hughes T, Kerry J, Connolly S, Baird A, Eakin C, Heron S, Hoey A, Hoogenboom M, Jacobson M, Liu G, Pratchett M, Skirving W and Torda G (2019) Ecological memory modifies the cumulative impact of recurrent climate extremes. Nature Climate Change, 9 (1), pp. 40-44, DOI:10.1038/s41558-018-0351-2.
• Rouzé H, Lecellier G, Pochon X, Torda G and Berteaux-Lecellier V (2019) Unique quantitative Symbiodiniaceae signature of coral colonies revealed through spatio-temporal survey in Moorea. Scientific Reports, 9, Article: 7921, DOI:10.1038/s41598-019-44017-5.
• Smith H, Moya A, Cantin N, van Oppen M and Torda G (2019) Observations of simultaneous sperm release and larval planulation suggest reproductive assurance in the coral Pocillopora acuta. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, Article: 362, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2019.00362.
• Hughes T, Anderson K, Connolly S, Heron S, Kerry J, Lough J, Baird A, Baum J, Berumen M, Bridge T, Claar D, Eakin C, Gilmour J, Graham N, Harrison H, Hobbs J, Hoey A, Hoogenboom M, Lowe R, McCulloch M, Pandolfi J, Pratchett M, Schoepf V, Torda G and Wilson S (2018) Spatial and temporal patterns of mass bleaching of corals in the Anthropocene. Science, 359 (6371), pp. 80-83, DOI:10.1126/science.aan8048.
• Hughes T, Kerry J, Baird A, Connolly S, Dietzel A, Eakin C, Heron S, Hoey A, Hoogenboom M, Liu G, McWilliam M, Pears R, Pratchett M, Skirving W, Stella J and Torda G (2018) Global warming transforms coral reef assemblages. Nature, 556 (7702), pp. 492-496, DOI:10.1038/s41586-018-0041-2.
• Quigley K, Torda G and Bay L (2018) The use of larvae or recruits in coral restoration initiatives: Symbiodinium acquisition does not differ between coral life stages in the wild. Restoration Ecology, 26 (3), pp. 422-425, DOI:10.1111/rec.12695.
• Torda G, Sambrook K, Cross P, Sato Y, Bourne D, Lukoschek V, Hill T, Torras Jorda G, Moya A and Willis B (2018) Decadal erosion of coral assemblages by multiple disturbances in the Palm Islands, central Great Barrier Reef. Scientific Reports, 8, Article: 11885, pp. 1-10, DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-29608-y.

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 26+ research outputs authored by Dr Gergely Torda from 2010 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Investigation of the Capacity for Thermal Plasticity to Future Warming across a Species Range (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Completed

• Investigating the drivers of microbial community composition in reef-building corals (2018, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit the JCU Research Data Catalogue.

• Hughes, T. (2018) Global warming transforms coral reef assemblages. James Cook University
• Ainsworth, T. (2017) Coral metagenome: bacterial associates of corals. James Cook University

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.