Sophie Wong

I've grown up around coral my entire life. My father's stories of his childhood on coral reefs in Mauritius sparked my interest in marine biology, but the coevolution between coral and their algal symbionts has captured my interest as a researcher since. During my undergraduate career at the University of Virginia, I completed two REUs at Mote Marine Laboratory and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab where I studied different aspects of coral heat tolerance and symbiosis.

Now, as part of my PhD, I am working with restoration practitioners in Fiji and Florida to develop low-cost, novel tools to increase the efficacy of outplanting initiatives. Utilizing principles of fluorometry, the Hoadley lab focuses on developing non-invasive tools to understand photobiology of phytoplankton and coral. I have been a part of developing these fluorometers since I began my graduate school career with Dr. Hoadley at the University of Alabama, and now I am working on developing my own instrument to answer questions about the host influence over symbiont photobiology.

My goal is to eventually become a professor and lead my own lab to continue developing novel technology to investigate the coral-algal symbiosis

May 2024