Professor Michael Fox's research focuses on coral reef ecology from the organism to the ecosystem scale by integrating oceanography, biogeochemistry, and coral biology. His interdisciplinary research has taken him from the Arctic to the Antarctic and from cold-water kelp forests to tropical coral reefs in every major ocean. Prior to joining KAUST in 2022, he was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, U.S., where he worked extensively on the world's most remote and uninhabited coral reef ecosystems in the central Pacific and Indian Oceans. 

Coral reefs are intricately connected to the larger ocean that surrounds them. Professor Fox is an emerging leader in a global effort to unravel the intricate biophysical connections between coral reefs and oceanographic processes that will shape the trajectory of these ecosystems under climate change. Large-scale processes such as ocean currents deliver critical nutrients and food resources to coral reefs and influence their ability to survive in a warming ocean. These connections will structure the future of coral reefs on our planet and understanding them is essential for designing effective management and restoration efforts. Professor Fox and his team are combining innovative coastal ocean monitoring with cutting edge biogeochemical techniques to elucidate the biophysical connections that underpin coral reef resilience in the naturally extreme environments of the Red Sea.