Meet the Team
We are a dedicated group of students and early career researchers spanning diverse research interests on reef science, career goals, and parts of the globe.
Steering Committee
Kennedy is the Research Partnerships Coordinator at the Cape Eleuthera Institute in The Bahamas. She studied Marine Biology and Spanish at the University of Miami and is now completing her master’s degree with Miami University’s Global Field Program. Kennedy has worked in coral restoration with the Bahamas Coral Innovation Hub, taught applied research, marine ecology, and scuba diving at The Island School, and coordinated response efforts to mitigate the devastating impacts of stony coral tissue loss disease across the U.S. coral jurisdictions as a Coral Disease Associate with Florida Sea Grant.
Chair: Kennedy Wall
Cape Eleuthera Institute
(she/her)
Serena is originally from North Carolina, USA where she completed her B.S. and M.S. research in marine ecology. She recently completed her Ph.D. studying coral environmental epigenetics and stress memory in the Caribbean and Florida Keys. She is excited to return to the Pacific for her postdoctoral research focused on coral resilience interventions and tools for restoration.
Vice Chair: Serena Hackerott
University of Delaware
(she/her)
Michelle is a third year Ph.D. student at the University of Aberdeen where she is researching the diversity and function of Caribbean coral rubble beds. Having lived in the Caribbean for five years, where she worked as a SCUBA diving instructor, she regards the region as her second home. Her research was inspired by the observations she made of juvenile fish using rubble beds. If you don’t see Michelle underwater, she’ll be outdoors in the mountains and forests of Scotland playing with her dogs.
Treasurer: Michelle Taylor
University of Aberdeen
(she/her)
Carrie is an Australian postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama with a broad interest in coral reef ecology and in particular coral early life history demographics. At STRI, her research focuses on understanding coral coexistence through early life competition studies. She conducts novel controlled experiments, complemented by in-situ observations, with the aim to uncover key ecological processes driving early life history dynamics and how these critical early stages impact broader coral community structure and ecosystem dynamics.
Secretary: Carrie Sims
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
(she/her)
Reefbites Blog
Sandra graduated from a Master’s in Ecology and Ecosystem Sciences from the University of Rhode Island where she studied the effect of coral restoration on the reef community. She currently lives in Puerto Rico and works as a Boat Groundings Specialist for the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment in the day and as a Marine Biologist Guide in the Bioluminescent Bay at night.
Manager: Sandra Schleier Hernández
University of Rhode Island
(she/her)
Michelle is a coral ecologist and remote marine analyst based in Miami, FL. She is most interested in coral disease, reef conservation, and climate justice. She received her Masters of Professional Science (MPS) degree from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School from 2020-2021 studying stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) transmission in ballast water under NOAA AOML. After graduating, she worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) from 2022-2024 as a Reef Injury Prevention & Response Specialist, where she performed reef injury site checks as a scientific diver and promoted safe anchoring & mooring buoy use with local fishers and boaters.
Content Curator: Michelle Baptist
University of Miami
(she/her)
Krista is a recent graduate of Nova Southeastern University, where she completed her MS in Marine Science in the Marine Larval Ecology and Recruitment Laboratory. Her research focuses on the reproductive ecology of corals, with a particular focus on anthropogenic effects on spawning synchrony.
Co-Chief Editor: Krista Laforest
Nova Southeastern University
(she/her)
Julia is a Canadian-American, originally from Texas but currently based in Canada. She completed her MSc jointly at McGill University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and is now working towards her PhD at the University of Alberta under Dr. Stephanie Green. Julia’s research uses a functional ecology lens to assess and predict coral restoration outcomes at multiple scales.
Content Curator: Julia Briand
McGill University & the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
(she/her)
Co-Chief Editor: Kelsey Beavers
University of Texas at Austin
(she/her)
Vivian is from the bustling island city of Singapore but has been studying and working in the US since 2015. She obtained a double degree in Molecular Environmental Biology and Film Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently a PhD student in Biology at Penn State University, where she studies the symbiotic relationships between bacteria and dinoflagellates within coral and jellyfish holobionts. She can usually be found in the lab or at home trying out a new hobby.
Content Curator: Vivian Yifan Li
Penn State University
(she/her)
Post Coordinator: Jill Ashey
University of Rhode Island
(she/her)
Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
Meg is a master’s student at UNC-Wilmington in the USA and works in the Coral REEF (Reproduction and Evolutionary Ecology- Fogarty) Lab. Her research focuses on optimizing the light spectrum for coral recruits in their earliest life history stages. This research will help up-scale coral restoration efforts by using land-based nurseries to raise genetically diverse recruits from ex-situ coral spawning. Instagram: @meggg_vh
Team Co-Lead: Meg Van Horn
University of North Carolina - Wilmington
(she/her)
Yasmin Birch
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
(she/her)
Shannon is from Melbourne, Florida but now resides in Ohio. She is currently a PhD candidate at The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on the importance of feeding and heterotrophic enhancement in adult and juvenile corals.
Team Co-Lead: Shannon Dixon
Ohio State University
(she/her)
Ponchanok is a PhD student at Old Dominion University. They were born and raised in Phuket, Thailand, where they also completed their undergraduate thesis on coral community surveys around the island. Their current research at ODU focuses on intra- and inter-specific variation in coral thermal tolerance at small spatial scales.
Ponchanok Weeriyanun
Old Dominion University
(she/they)
Diana Carolina Vergara
University of Michigan
(she/her)
Barbara Ribeiro
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
(she/her)
Early Career Committee
I'm a marine biologist on a fancy mission to understand the ocean's secrets. My journey began in Egypt, earning a BSc (Hons) and MSc in marine biology. I then moved to the UK for my PhD, made a splash in the USA with my first postdoc, and currently ride the waves of discovery in the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. I focus on how corals face climate change challenges from the gene to ecosystem level. Off-duty, I'm a dad to a crazy boy who hilariously debates why pets aren't my thing.
Team Co-Lead: Eslam O. Osman
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
(he/him)
Karan is from Mumbai; he is a conservation practitioner, whose work focuses on coral reef habitats along the west coast of India. He examines urban reefs through the lens of marine tourism and other anthropogenic activities; while also, collaborating with stakeholders to ensure a sustainable future for coral reefs in India.
Karan Deshpande
Wildlife Conservation Society, India
(he/him)
Agustin Capriati is a marine ecologist and conservationist. She was born and raised in Indonesia’s ultimate marine tropical paradise, a marine biodiversity hotspot. Capriati developed a strong interest in marine species conservation and related issues from a young age. Her passion for the ocean and marine life led her to study biodiversity and coral reef ecosystems. She is pursuing her PhD at Wageningen University, where she employs a multi-level approach, including ecological assessments, document reviews, and image analysis
Agustin Capriati
Wageningen University
(she/her)
Nick is a British postdoctoral researcher at the National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University, USA, where he also completed his PhD. His research focuses on the impact of climate change and local environmental pressures on benthic community dynamics, spatial heterogeneity and resilience.
Team Co-Lead: Nicholas Jones
Nova Southeastern University
(he/him)
Eric is a staff lab assistant in the Coral Reef Engineering Group at UCSD under Dr. Daniel Wangpraseurt. He earned his Bachelor’s in Nanoengineering from UCSD in 2024 and was lucky to find a place in a mixed biology/engineering lab to pursue his passion for ocean science. Eric loves outdoor activities like surfing, climbing, SCUBA diving, biking, and hiking. He hopes to pursue a career in marine sciences and continue his work rehabilitate and support coral reefs globally. Instagram: schustereric2; Bsky: @schusters-ocean.bsky.social
Eric Schuster
University of California, San Diego
(he/him)
Siddhi is from India. She works with coral reef and lagoon ecosystems in the atolls of Lakshadweep, India. Her research focuses on bio-erosion processes by sea urchins in the reefs, as well as understanding the socio-ecological functioning of lagoon ecosystems in these islands. When she's not working, she can be found baking strange confections, or hiking up the snowy Himalayas she calls home.
Siddhi Jaishankar
Nature Conservation Foundation, India
(she/her)
Violeta Martinez Castillo
Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur
(she/her)
Ninon is a Belizean having worked in the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve in mangrove, seagrass, and reef systems at the University of Belize Environmental Research Institute. Ninon is now a second year PhD student at Boston University focusing on the diversity and possible adaptations of Scleractinian corals that exist in non-reef habitats. Ninon maintains her affiliation with the University of Belize and is a WWF Education for Nature fellow and a student fellow in the Marine Conservation Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Ninon Martinez
Boston University & University of Belize Environmental Research Institute
(she/her)
Hannah-Marie is a PhD student at Florida International University in the Santos Seascape Ecology Lab. She is broadly interested in identifying drivers of stony coral community assembly across environmental gradients in South Florida. She will be employing a trait-based community ecology approach to quantify trait variation of stony corals and assessing novel methodology to non-invasively assess physiological traits in situ using hyperspectral imaging. (for the instagram post - @hannah_mari.n.e)
Hannah-Marie Lamle
Florida International University
(she/her)
Social Media & Communications
Rachel is a Northern Irish Postdoc based in Konstanz looking into coral gene signatures of ocean stress & resilience. Instagram: rachelclare3
X/Bluesky Team Lead: Rachel Alderdice
University of Konstanz
(she/her)
Riccardo, originally from Italy, is enrolled at the University of Amsterdam, pursuing a master’s degree in Evolutionary Ecology. Throughout his studies, he developed a strong interest in ecology, especially marine biology. He conducted his thesis in Curaçao, studying coral acclimatization in extreme marginal environments. Riccardo will be part of Team X, sharing the latest updates and fresh insights into the marine world
X/Bluesky: Ricardo Mazza
University of Amsterdam
(he/him)
Ilgin is a Biology undergraduate student and aspiring marine biologist still discovering the area she wants to focus on. With a deep passion for understanding marine ecosystems, she combines her scientific pursuits with a love for the performing arts, especially ballet and musical theatre. Ilgin is a certified scuba diver and enjoys exploring the underwater world with her University Sub-Aqua Club. In her free time, she practices dance, reads books and watches anything theatre related.
Instagram: Ilgin Koc
University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
(she/her)
Joyce is a research technician at the Fish and Functions lab in UTMSI working on determining the nutritional value of fishes and how habitat degradation may impact the sustainability of the nutritional resources of people in the Texas Coastal Bend. She got her MSc at Ghent University in Belgium where she majored in Marine Environmental Health. Her research interests revolve around fish ecology and fisheries management. Outside of research, Joyce plays badminton and explores growing chickens.
X/Bluesky: Joyce Velos
University of Texas
(she/her)
X/Bluesky: Eloise Rose Enrico Lopez
Sargassum Podcast
(she/her)
Instagram: Kayla Harper
Texas A&M
(she/her)
Clara is from an island country in Southeast Asia known as Singapore. She is currently pursuing a PhD in the Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory at the National University of Singapore. Her research revolves around understanding the impact of microplastics on coral reefs, and their distribution in both the physical environment and the food web.
X/Bluesky: Clara Yong
National University of Singapore
(she/her)
X/Bluesky: Ayla Kroon
(she/her)
Natascha is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Berkeley. She holds a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UC Davis and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Miami. Her doctoral work focused on identifying and characterizing viral infections in bacteria on coral reefs and in anoxic lakes using multiomics approaches and proximity ligation. As a postdoctoral researcher, she is expanding her focus to include the role of eukaryotic viral infections in Moorean coral reefs, while integrating outreach and collaboration with Indigenous communities.
Instagram: Natascha Varona
University of California, Berkeley
(she/they)
Erin’s fascination for the marine world stems from spending countless hours growing up exploring the Narrow River estuary in South County, Rhode Island. Erin now resides in New Jersey, where she is pursuing a PhD in Ecology and Evolution. Erin’s dissertation research is largely focused on understanding genetic and environmental factors underlying coral resilience to thermal stress. When she isn’t in the lab or under the water, you can usually find Erin on the dancefloor ballroom dancing, exploring the urban and natural jungles of New Jersey, or playing games with friends
X/Bluesky: Erin Chille
Rutgers University
(she/her)
Annalise is currently working as part of a sponge and coral restoration organization in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Annalise has a degree in Environmental Science where she looked into genotype survivorship and growth across restoration sites for A. cervicornis in the Florida Keys. In her free time she enjoys lifting, diving, working in her ceramic studio, and listening to music.
Instagram Team Lead: Annalise Nisly
Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education
(she/her)
Skill & Professional Development
Casey has a background in coral reef restoration and research, having worked as a researcher at Nova Southeastern University’s CRRAM Lab and the Cape Eleuthera Institute in the Bahamas. She currently serves as a biologist with an environmental consulting firm in Southeast Florida, specializing in marine resource surveys, coral relocations, and environmental regulatory permitting. She is also a PADI Dive Instructor who enjoys inspiring others to explore and understand the underwater world!
Team Co-Lead: Casey Harris
Cummins Cederberg
(she/her)
Megan is from coastal Connecticut and is now in Durham, North Carolina. She is pursuing a masters degree of Environmental Management at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment concentrating in Coastal and Marine Systems. Her previous research has focused on shifting coral microbiomes and coral probiotics.
Megan Dear
Duke University
(she/her)
Emily’s interest for marine biology began as a research technician at the Bahamas Coral Innovation Hub, leading to her Master’s at NTOU in Taiwan. There, she studied the ecophysiology and reproduction of shallow-water hydrothermal vent corals. Her research fueled a passion for corals that can persist in extreme environments, and she is now actively seeking a PhD in this field. Outside of academia, Emily enjoys climbing, trekking, and diving.
Team Co-Lead: Emily Corrigan
Wilfrid Laurier University
(she/her)
Ben is a 4th-year doctoral candidate who is interested in the roles of community and seascape ecology in the transmission of marine infectious diseases. He helped document a devastating outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) in the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2019, and then followed the disease to Louisiana State University, where he now models the epidemiology of SCTLD local to Florida and the US Virgin Islands.
Ben Farmer
Louisiana State University
(he/him)
Sarah is a coral biologist from the Midwestern US where she developed an affinity for understanding the natural world by exploring the forests, streams, and wetlands of Ohio. This curiosity fueled her scholarship and evolved into a passion for coral reef ecology. Her research goals are centered on increasing our understanding of the physiological mechanisms that underlie coral resilience to rapid climate change. During her doctorate degree, Sarah has approached this by investigating the acclimatization and adaptive capacity of naturally stress-tolerant corals from extreme environments.
Sarah Solomon
University of Amsterdam
(she/her)
Megan Sporre
University of Michigan
(she/her)
Maya is from Seattle, WA (USA) where she grew up searching tidepools for cool new creatures. She is pursuing her PhD in the Castillo Corals lab at UNC. Her research focuses on how coral-associated algal and microbial communities may aid corals in their survival in multi-stressor environments, and help predict coral resilience under future climate change.
Maya Powell
University of North Carolina
(she/her)
Natalie Scott
Guam Coral Reef Initiative
(she/her)
Website
Kirstin is a PhD student at Newcastle University in the UK and her research interests are understanding the evolution of sociality and cognition, using fishes as model organisms. She is currently investigating the social functions of colour patterns in anemonefishes through both laboratory experiments at Boston University and field studies in Papua New Guinea.
Team Lead: Kirstin Gaffney
Newcastle University
(she/her)
Anna is a Brazilian biologist from São Paulo, currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in ESG and Corporate Sustainability and preparing to begin her MSc. She is affiliated with the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo and contributes to Projeto Coral Vivo. Her work focuses on coral reef ecosystems, with an emphasis on resilience and adaptive responses to environmental stressors.
Anna Beatriz Berrettini
University of São Paulo
(she/her)
Jasmine is a 2nd year PhD student at Southern Cross University in New South Wales, Australia. Her project aims to elucidate the biogeochemical signals released by corals under stress conditions. This project hopes to use the absence or presence of these biogeochemical signals as a bioindicator for stress prior to bleaching events. In her free time, she likes to spend her time outdoors hiking, surfing, and running.
Jasmine Haskell
Southern Cross University
(she/her)
Nepsis is from a small town called Baní in the southwest of the Dominican Republic. She did her undergrad at PUCMM (in the DR) and got her masters in Marine Biology at NSU Florida. Before her PhD at U of M she worked on the assisted sexual reproduction of stony corals, larval rearing and recruit grow out. Currently, she is interested in understanding how coral assemblages on artificial reefs can help us recover coral reef function, and finding less active solutions to restore coral reefs. In her spare time, Nepsis loves cooking, and snuggling with her wife and her cats to watch TV.
Nepsis Garcia
University of Michigan
(she/they)
Caitlin is a 2nd year PhD student at the University of Alberta in Canada. Her research aims to investigate the dynamics of coral predators on restored reef sites alongside developing accessible tools and methodologies that can be used across varied contexts to facilitate coral reef restoration. When not conducting research, Caitlin enjoys exploring the great outdoors and spending as much time underwater as possible!
Caitlin Hall
University of Alberta
(she/her)
Translation
I am a coral reef ecologist and molecular evolutionary biologist from Colombia, specializing in coral conservation and evolution within the Caribbean. I hold a B.Sc. in Marine Biology from Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, an M.Sc. in Biological Sciences from Universidad de Los Andes, and a Ph.D. in Environmental and Biological Sciences from the University of Rhode Island.
My research focuses on coral species' adaptation and divergence across environmental gradients, including depth and temperature, as well as their physiological responses to bleaching. I also investigate the population genomics and phylogenomics of corals and use benthic foraminifera as indicators of water quality.
Currently, as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI), I am studying transcriptomic variations in soft corals along the Florida reef tract.
Team Lead: Matias Gómez-Corrales
Nova Southeastern University
(he/him)
Diana hails from Colombia, where she did her undergrad and master's research on coral reefs' evolution and ecology, and the interaction with their microbiota and predators. She is a Ph.D. student using genomics to explore Conus diversity and biology.
Spanish: Diana Carolina Vergara-Florez
University of Michigan
(she/her)
Marina is from Munich, Germany. She recently graduated with a M.Sc. in Management from the Technical University of Munich and has further degrees in Engineering Science (B.Sc.) and Architecture (German Diplom). Marina has previously lived and studied for three years in Honolulu, Hawai’i. Her interests are in relation to coral reef restoration as a nature-based solution for coastal protection and the maintenance of biodiversity.
German: Marina Elisabeth Rottmueller
Technical University of Munich
(she/her)
Clara is a Postdoctoral research fellow form the University of Plymouth, working on mesophotic coral ecosystems, with a particular focus on benthic ecology. She was born and lived her childhood in Reunion Island, did her studies in France and then moved to the UK for her PhD and postdoc.
French: Clara Diaz
University of Plymouth, United Kingdom
(she/her)
Born in Mexico and raised in a Brazilian family, Ana is a recently graduated PhD student and current postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama. With a background in coral reef ecology and ecological interactions, she conducted a series of experiments during her PhD investigating the effects of environmental stressors on interactions between corals and other benthic organisms. Following this, she became involved in a coral restoration project and is now focusing on corals inhabiting extreme mangrove habitats. She is also engaged in disseminating ocean literacy and scientific content to the public.
Portuguese: Ana Carolina Grillo
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
(she/her)
Originally from Italy, Martina moved to the UK to study Biodiversity and Conservation at University College London. Her master's research focused on the thermal tolerance of seagrass communities. Craving some sun, she moved to Australia to start her PhD at James Cook University. Her research is on coral-macroalgal interactions and investigates the role of competition on disturbed reefs.
Italian: Martina Burgo
James Cook University
(she/her)
Fernando is a Mexican biologist from Puebla. He is currently a PhD student in Marine Biology at the Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He has a strong background in the reproductive ecology of scleractinian corals. During his master’s studies, he conducted experiments to evaluate post-settlement survival of coral recruits in the Veracruz Reef System. His doctoral research focuses on larval dispersal patterns in Gulf of Mexico reef systems, aiming to inform management and conservation strategies. Outside of academia, he is a self-proclaimed coffee nerd, and he enjoys spending his free time with his dog, Ellie.
Spanish: Fernando Ramirez-Verduzco
Texas A&M University
(he/him)
Alumni
Steering Committee
Chair: Morgan Short
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Contractor (NOAA/ERT)
(she/her)
Vice Chair: Igor Pessoa
Rio de Janeiro State University (he/him)
Secretary: Jenna Dilworth
University of Southern California
(she/her)
Treasurer/ECR Team: Violeta Martinez Castillo
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur
(she/her)
Action Committees
SPD: Mahsa Alidoostsalimi
University of Melbourne
(she/her)
ECR Team Lead: James Cant
University of St. Andrews
(he/him)
ECR: Christina Skinner
University of Queensland
(she/her)
EDI: DeVant’e Dawson
University of Florida
(he/him)
EDI: Emily Chei
The University of Hong Kong
(she/her)
EDI: Kristina Black
University of Texas- Austin
(she/her)
SPD: Daniel Olivares-Cordero
University of Southern California
(he/him)
SPD: Ronen Liberman
Tel Aviv University/NSU
(he/him)
SPD: Raphaela Gracie
University of Southampton
(she/her)
Communication Committees
Website Lead: Rosa Celia Poquita-Du
(she/her)
Website Lead: Nicola Kriefall
(she/her)
Reefbites Co-chief Editor: Miranda Spencer Altice
Southern Cross University
(she/her)
Reefbites Post Coordinator: Bobbie Renfro
Florida State University
(she/her)
Reefbites Content curator: Paige Strudwick
University of Technology Sydney
(she/her)
Reefbites Content curator: Henrique Bravo
University of Groningen
(he/him)
Twitter: Dani Nembhard
(she/her)
Twitter: Katrina Munsterman
University of Michigan
(she/her, they/them)
Instagram: Ryan Tomaine
The Nature Conservancy
(he/him)
Instagram Team Lead: Rebecca Turner
Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority
(she/her)
Instagram: Rosa-Maria Cañedo
(she/her)
Instagram: Hamid Darkhal
SBU University
(he/him)
Portuguese Translation: Jessica Bleuel
Federal University of Ceará
(she/her)
Italian Translation: Federica Buttari
National Sun Yat-Sen University
(she/her)
German Translation: Selma Mezger
University of Bremen
(she/her)
Translation Post Coordinator: Andrea Landaverde
North Carolina State University
(she/her)
Thank you to our founders.
Our chapter began as a committee in 2016 thanks to the hard work of: Jessica Bellworthy (Chair), Sandra Schleier (Reefbites), Maha Cziesielski (Reefbites), Claire Lewis (Twitter), Hannah Reich (Twitter), Carlos Carvajal (Instagram), and Laura Richardson (Student Events). For three years, they ran the student committee and in 2020, recruited the current student chapter team. We would not be where we are today without you!