Tracy Ainsworth is a marine biologist and Scientia Professor at the University of New South Wales, working on coral reefs, and the biology of the Great Barrier Reef. Her research covers the biology of stresses, cells, disease, immunity and symbiosis. She was awarded the Dorothy Hill Medal for science, from the Australian Academy of Science, for research on coral reef, stresses and impacts of temperature on coral health.
Ainsworth's career has examined impacts of environmental stress on corals, particularly reef-building corals, together with the interactions between hosts and microbe. She also studies symbioses and disease outbreaks. Research around bacterial associates of corals opened up knowledge around the mechanisms of coral diseases, how these occur and what causes them to progress.
Ainsworth has also identified a range of novel intracellular bacteria which may play a role in the success of corals. She has also examined the impacts of rising temperatures, and climate change, and how this will affect coral both at present, and in future climates. Ainsworth has published studies on the impacts of rising water temperatures on corals.