Joanna Kelley

Mid-Career Faculty Achievement
(Tenure Track)

Associate Professor
Biological Sciences

Joanna Kelley, a respected innovator in evolutionary and population genomics, has a stellar international reputation for tackling challenging, data-intensive questions and working with some of the strangest organisms on the planet.

She seeks to better understand physical adaptations that enable organisms to thrive, especially in extreme environments. Early in her career, Joanna originated the practice of scanning genome data for signatures of selection. She also pioneered the integration of genomics into an ecological context.

A highly productive scientist and sought-after collaborator with more than $2 million in active grant funding, her diverse publications appear in esteemed journals and range from examining genomic signatures in fish to understanding how grizzly bears might help us learn about diabetes in humans.

Joanna participates in working groups and seminars in Europe and across the United States. Recently, she was one of only 13 experts to speak at a National Institutes of Health international workshop.

She teaches the contemporary genetics capstone course, mentors undergraduate students, and is mentoring five PhD students and two post-doctoral researchers. An active advocate for under-represented communities in the biological sciences, she helped establish a Scientista student chapter at WSU and serves as its faculty advisor.

Joanna is an intellectually flexible and inquisitive mid-career scientist who will no doubt continue to perform at the highest level for many years to come.