People

As a child I always loved to be in the water, be it in a pool or the ocean, this love was further fueled when I started scuba diving in my early teens. As I finished my college education I was considering studying law but marine biology was always alive in my subconscious and in an attempt to completely fill university applications I applied for marine related subjects as well as law. After an open day for marine biology at a university in the UK I realised that it was what I was supposed to do.

I completed my BSc in marine vertebrate zoology at the University of Bangor, UK, with the goal of working with marine mammals, in particular cetaceans. During summer breaks I volunteered at Seychelles with Global Vision International (GVI) researching the damage a recent tsunami had caused on the coral populations and I continued my scuba diving education up to reaching dive instructor certification. Once concluding my BSc I subsequently moved to Townsville, Australia where I completed an MSc in natural resource management, during which I learned I had a passion for molecular genetics. I went on to intern at the Australian Institute of Science (AIMS) where I continued to develop my skills and passion for molecular genetics. I am currently doing a PhD at James Cook University, Townsville, on comparing the molecular bases of regeneration and development in corals.