Koror, Palau
Marine scientist with experience in tropical marine ecology and coral reef fisheries. Experience working at research institutes, environmental consultancies and non-profit organizations in several different countries.
Working in a team and leading several research and long-term monitoring projects (e.g. Fish Stock Assessment & Marine Protected Areas Surveys). Diving and snorkelling to collect data on benthic cover (photo quadrats), seagrass (visual quadrats), fish (diver-operated stereo videos & visual), macroinvertebrates (visual) and coral recruits (tiles). Water sample collection and sampling with AAQ water quality profiler. Lab work (microscopy to identify coral recruits, filtering eDNA samples). Data management and cleaning of large datasets. Processing of fish videos and benthic photos. Statistical data analysis (e.g. ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, LM, LMER, GLM, GLMERs, multiple regression, diversity indices). Technical report writing and published one peer-reviewed paper. Reviewing of internal reports and external EIAs. Presentation of results to local communities and participation in outreach events. Supervision, training and delegation of work to Research Assistants.
Research on the ecology and current status of the Ethiopian Hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus). Responsible for well-being of captive hedgehogs, taking physical measurements of newborn, juvenile and adult hedgehogs and biological sample collection from newborn hedgehogs for DNA analysis. Radio-tracking of released hedgehogs and management of data collected.
Video analysis for a fish herbivory experiment including Indo-Pacific fish identification. SCUBA diving to assist scientists from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology with collection and laboratory processing of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) and fan worms. Assisting local researchers in the marine biotechnology laboratory to run microbiological experiments on antibacterial and antifungal properties of marine extracts and antifouling experiments.
Worked in a small team to assess the environmental impacts of construction activities on a large port development project, the New Port Project. Environmental and ecological monitoring including marine water quality, benthic infauna and sediment, mangroves, dewatering effluent, groundwater, soil, noise, air quality and avifauna surveys. SCUBA diving for the retrieval of sediment traps and coral recruitment units, monitoring of seagrass, macroalgae and coral habitats and maintenance of continuous water quality monitoring stations. Independent management and analysis of large environmental and ecological data sets in Excel. Writing of quarterly and annual scientific reports for several environmental and ecological aspects for submission to the client and environmental authorities. Training and mentoring of junior monitoring officers. Conducting dynamic risk assessments and following health and safety procedures. QA/QC of laboratory results and data including identifying and following up issues. Calibration and maintenance of environmental monitoring equipment including water quality meters (YSI sondes and WTW multi meters) and groundwater loggers. Maintenance of marine water quality, oceanographic and meteorological monitoring stations. Liaising with on-site contractors for inspection of environmental records and monitoring. Preparation of desktop studies, contaminated land assessments, scope of works and other technical reports for several other projects.
Worked with the EMEG team on a coral translocation project as part of mitigation measures for the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant development. Involved SCUBA diving for collection and translocation of corals. Corals were identified, counted, tagged and photographed.