Samantha Goyen

I am a second year PhD candidate from the Future Reefs lab within the Climate Change Cluster at UTS. So far in my PhD I have presented my research at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Hawaii 2016 which was a fantastic learning and networking opportunity. I have also published a paper and have another in review looking at Symbiodinium functional diversity and thermal tolerance.

I am particularly interested in the future of coral reefs as highly vulnerable ecosystems at the ‘frontline’ of environmental change. With a decline in the productivity and growth of coral reef ecosystems as well as changes in the distribution and function of corals, there are major environmental and social consequences as millions rely on coral reefs worldwide. Corals are such complex organisms and we have so much more to understand about them and I want to contribute to that knowledge. I have grown up snorkeling and diving the Great Barrier Reef and I love getting out there in the quirky temperate waters of Sydney. It is vital at this time that we understand these ecosystems and the corals within them in the context of climate change and how we can best manage for that change.

Alicia Lloyd

My research has been focused on reef-building corals and the fascinating symbiotic dinoflagellate living within their tissue. I'm interested in how this symbiosis will survive under climate change conditions and whether we can obtain information to help coral acclimate to the future conditions of our oceans. It is clear that
climate change is already having an impact around the world, including Sydney, indicating that this research is important and timely. In addition to looking for new ways to protect coral reefs, I'm also dedicating time to engage with the local community about ways to live more sustainably on our planet.

Matthew Nitschke

I completed my PhD at the University of Queensland (Australia) in 2015 and my primary interests relate to symbiosis in the marine environment. Specifically, I focus on photosynthetic symbioses between invertebrates (including corals, jellyfish, and anemones) and marine algae, and how these interactions will reorganise under a changing climate. I target research questions which can resolve how symbiotic organisms with complex life cycles are integrated across generations and the key traits that are required for a working, resilient, and ecologically successful mutualism. With the rate of environmental change, this unfortunately also extends to diagnosing the breakdown and dysfunction of marine symbioses. My research has taken me to locations such as the Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and most recently in Sydney Harbour with the Future Reefs team of the Climate Change Cluster (C3) at the University of Technology Sydney.

Emma Camp

I am a marine biologist with research interests in the role marginal reef environments (e.g. mangrove habitats) can play in understanding the impact of future climate change on coral reefs. I currently work as a post-doctorate research associate at the University of Technology (UTS), Sydney. At UTS I am a member of the Climate Change Cluster (C3) working with Associate Professor David Suggett in the Future Reefs Research Program.

Over the past four years I have been involved as a coral reef researcher with Earthwatch and Operation Wallacea and am an ambassador for global biodiversity for the charity IBEX earth. Before my current position at UTS I was awarded an Australian Government Endeavour Fellowship to continue my work on marginal corals - specifically addressing whether and how species diversity of the coral holobiont (hostcoral cnidarian, symbiotic algal and bacterial communities) alters as coral populations persist into extreme environments.

Alongside my research, I enjoy photography and communicating my research to the wider public.

Lisa Fujise

I am a third year PhD candidate in Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney. I am working on Symbiodinium which is endosymbiotic microalgae living inside of corals, but are also tied to a “free-living” life stage outside of their hosts. I focus on this “free-living” living Symbiodinium because most corals acquire Symbiodinium from the surrounding environment; however the ecology of these free-living Symbiodinium is not well described. The aims of my study are to understand free-living Symbiodinium diversity and distribution, and evaluate life history stages that enable population persistence outside of their hosts. My research is carried out on the Great Barrier Reef and within Sydney harbour to compare between tropical and temperate regions. The free-living Symbiodinium diversity in temperate regions is little known, however it suggested that these regions may become refuges of corals under future climates and therefore represent important study sites.

David Suggett

I lead the Future Reefs Program within the Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney. I'm interested in what makes coral (reefs) tick! Why are some species of coral more sensitive than others to stress? How can we 'assess' this sensitivity to help reef managers make difficult decisions in which areas of coral need most protection? My team studies corals from the smallest of their symbiotic microbes to entire reef systems to answer these questions, with a special focus on developing new tools that can better determine the health status of coral reefs. We work along Eastern Australia from Sydney Harbour to the Great Barrier Reef but also further afield including New Caledonia and the Seychelles, and always looking for new opportunities and reefs that need our help.