I joined the Lirman Lab in 2018 as Senior Research Associate II to help oversee ongoing coral restoration projects, participate in the lab’s education and outreach activities through the Rescue a Reef Citizen Science Program, and manage coral reef and seagrass monitoring efforts. My research interests focus on the physiological response in corals to various environmental stressors and the potential for certain coral species and genotypes to express a greater resistance and resilience to those stressors.
I earned my M.S. in Marine Affairs and policy from the University of Miami’s RSMAS in 2015. My graduate research focused on the physiological response of Acropora cervicornis to ocean acidification as well as seawater chemistry fluxes resulting from seagrass productivity. After graduating, I worked for a private environmental consulting firm monitoring various benthic habitats and endangered corals in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Throughout my years of coral reef monitoring, I witnessed bleaching events and disease outbreaks that left me feeling discouraged. However, as a member of the Lirman Lab, I am excited to be able to contribute to coral reef restoration projects and to learn more about coral stress hardening studies with the hope that Caribbean Reefs can be preserved.
