University of Amsterdam
People
My group consists of both undergraduate and graduate students who come from a wide range of countries and backgrounds. Together, we conduct diverse research projects to address current challenges in coral reef biology. We aim to advance our understanding of how corals are impacted by climate and environmental change, and what mechanisms increase coral stress tolerance in a future ocean.
Verena Schoepf
Assistant Professor
MacGillavry Fellow and Vidi Laureate
I am a marine biologist at the University of Amsterdam investigating how climate and environmental change impact tropical coral reefs, the “rainforests of the sea”. I have published more than 40 papers in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Nature and Science, and have won several awards such as the WA Young Tall Poppy Science Award. As a Superstar of STEM and TEDx Speaker, I am passionate about science communication and promoting women in STEM, and my career and research on “super corals” were featured in the documentary series “Women and Oceans”.
Rene van der Zande
Postdoctoral Researcher
I am a marine ecologist in the group of Dr. Verena Schoepf at the University of Amsterdam. My research focuses on the effects of multiple stressors on coral health, and aims to improve our understanding of how changing environmental conditions interact in shaping coral reefs presently as well as in the future. To achieve this, I mostly use a combination of manipulative laboratory and aquarium experiments, coupled with long-term monitoring and experiments in the field. The process of finding out more and more about the intricate and fascinating mechanisms of evolution and adaptation in nature fuels my passion for the natural world, and I hope to inspire others to develop the same.
Sarah Solomon
PhD Candidate
I am a nature enthusiast and marine biologist with a passion for tropical eco-physiology. I am a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam under supervision of Dr. Verena Schoepf, and my research goals involve characterizing how tropical coral reefs will acclimatize to future ocean conditions and understanding the mechanisms that underlie coral resilience in extreme or marginal habitats. I’m inspired by the beauty and complexity of organismal diversity and I aspire to communicate our exciting scientific findings in creative ways to a broad audience.
Kelly Wong Johnson
PhD Candidate
I completed my MS in Biology at California State University, Northridge where my research focused on the capacity for corals and octocorals to occupy space on rubble-dominated reefs in the United States Virgin Islands and French Polynesia. Continuing my interest for coral ecophysiology on Caribbean reefs, I am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam under the supervision of Dr. Verena Schoepf. My current research goals are to explore how the environmental variability of particular reefs in Curaçao and Panama, which are characterized by sub-optimal conditions as compared to surrounding reefs, promotes or reduces the physiological performance and stress-tolerance of corals from those reefs. I am impassioned to be a student, diver, and researcher within a large scientific community working towards better understanding how corals will persist when confronted with persistent global climate change.
Emily Croasdale
MSc Project: Coral community structure in Curaçao's marginal inland bays
I am a passionate diver and Environmental scientist, working on my first research project for my Masters in Freshwater and Marine Biology under the supervision of Dr Verena Schoepf. Her expertise in marginal reef environments is inspiring to me as someone who is interested in both conservation of coral reefs and understanding the mechanisms by which some corals are able to survive, or have the potential to survive the climate crisis. My research focuses on variation in population structure of several species of corals between highly marginal inland bays and typical reef environments in Curaçao, and how these differences relate to environmental conditions.
Matteo Bravo
MSc Project: Coral calcification across environmentally distinct sites in the Colombian Caribbean
I have always felt deeply connected to the sea, and if I close my eyes and try to imagine the most breathtaking places I have ever seen, the view of a colorful carpet of corals overcrowds my thoughts. In 2019 I had the chance to work on a coral restoration project in the reefs of the Maldives and since then, my life cannot be untangled from the ones of corals. For my second Master’s research project, I am now investigating how calcification rates of five coral species differ across environmentally distinct locations in the Colombian Caribbean.
Chris Lippens
MSc project: Physiological adaptations of two scleractinian coral species in the marginal inland bays of Curaçao
I am a motivated master’s student with a fascination for the natural world. I’m currently working on my first research project for my Masters in Freshwater and Marine Biology with the University of Amsterdam, under the supervision of Sarah Solomon (PhD candidate) and Dr. Verena Schoepf. Growing up on Curaçao, I was lucky enough to explore the island’s beautiful reefs from a young age. Now, I am passionate about researching and understanding coral reefs in order to help protect those same ecosystems from the effects of climate change. My current research focuses on the potential ecophysiological adaptations of coral communities living under marginal and extreme conditions within the inland bays of Curaçao.
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Defne Sahin
PhD Project: Environmental and ecological drivers of distribution and performance of high latitude corals
I have a BSc degree in Chemistry and a MSc degree in Environmental Sciences which I both completed in Istanbul, Turkey, where I'm originally from. Despite coming from a different background, I have always been passionate about marine conservation and corals. This led me to pursue a PhD at the University of Western Australia under the supervision of Dr Thomas Wernberg (collaboration with Dr Verena Schoepf). My PhD project aims to explore the poleward expansion of corals, the implications this might have on other species and the potential of high-latitude reefs to serve as a coral refuge under future ocean conditions.
Former Postdocs, PhD and MSc Students
MSc, 2022
Laura Misker
Thesis "Quantifying the protein content of three Scleractinian coral species occurring in Curaçao’s extreme/marginal inland bays"
Daily supervisor: Sarah Solomon
MSc, 2022
Wout van der Heide
Thesis "Calcification and photosynthetic responses of reef-building corals to ocean acidification". Now a PhD student at Cornell University
MSc, 2021
Chiara de Jong
Thesis "Assessment of the abiotic environmental variability and water quality of Curaçao’s inland bays"
MSc, 2021
Iris van Os
Thesis "Coral eco-physiology in the marginal and extreme inland bays of Curaçao during the warm wet season"
Postdoc 2020/21
Maitê G. Bucher
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow; joint supervision with Dr Karl Castillo, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
MSc, 2020
Elias Speelman
Thesis "Differential long-term recovery from mass bleaching across strong environmental gradients in an extreme macrotidal reef environment"
MSc, 2020
Guadalupe Sepúlveda
Thesis "Environmental variability of inland bays in Curaçao and ecophysiology of two reef building coral species". Now a PhD student at Stockholm University
PhD, 2018
Claire Ross
Thesis “Coral calcification mechanisms and the use of corals as paleo-thermometers”. Co-supervision with Prof Malcolm McCulloch (primary supervisor), Dr Jim Falter and Dr Thomas DeCarlo. Now a Research Scientist at the Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
MSc, 2018
Maria Jung
Thesis “Symbiont dynamics and energy reserves in Kimberley corals during and after a natural bleaching event”. Visiting student from the University of Bremen, Germany. Now a PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia
MSc, 2018
Cyrielle Rigal
Thesis “Physiological differences between heat-resistant intertidal and heat-susceptible subtidal Kimberley corals”. Visiting student from the University of South Brittany, France
MSc, 2017
Andrew Warnes
Thesis “Interactive effects of light and temperature on coral biogeochemistry”. Co-supervision with Dr Chris Cornwall and Dr Steeve Comeau. Now a Laboratory Coordinator at the Australian Institute of Marine Science
MSc, 2017
Steven Carrion
Thesis “Heat tolerance and acclimatisation capacity of Kimberley corals”. Visiting student from the University of Edinburgh, UK. Now a Marine Specialist Consultant at the World Bank
MSc, 2016
Morane Le Nohaïc
Thesis “Impacts of the global coral bleaching event of 2015/16 on coral reefs in Western Australia”. Visiting student from the University of La Rochelle, France. Now a PhD candidate at the University of Brisbane
