Kaylee Cooper

Kaylee is a 1st year PhD student. She received her B.S./B.A at UCLA, double majoring in Marine Biology and Political Science with a minor in Evolutionary Medicine. As an undergraduate, she researched macroalgal functional traits and distribution in Moorea, French Polynesia, and later studied coral thermal resilience and epigenetic inheritance as an NSF REU at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) under Dr. Samantha de Putron. After graduating, she worked at UCSD's Miller Lab, studying natural behavior and neural systems in marmosets. Kaylee's research interests revolve around the coral microbiome and how we can utilize beneficial microbes and emerging biotechnologies to enhance coral health, resilience, and recovery under environmental stress. She received the NSF GRFP in 2026 for her research proposal on leveraging beneficial microbes to improve coral thermal resilience.