People

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”.

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.

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.

Laura Misker

MSc project: Protein content of three coral species in Curaçao’s inland bays

The ocean is an incredible place where new discoveries are made each day. After I started diving a few years ago I was able to experience the full beauty of it, but also the threats it faces. I am passionate about working towards understanding how organisms, especially benthic organisms such as corals, will cope under future ocean conditions. Currently I am a Freshwater & Marine Biology master student working with Sarah Solomon (PhD candidate) on coral resilience and the underlying mechanisms in marginal environments. This will help improve our understanding how tropical coral reefs will respond under future ocean conditions. Subsequently, I believe this information needs to be communicated towards the broader audience with the goal to improve conservation strategies.

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.

Joe Pilmeijer

BSc project: Coral adaptation to limited light availability in naturally extreme environments in inland bays of Curaçao

Last summer, I visited the island of Curaçao and I saw amazing coral reefs and wildlife whilst diving. Although I had always been interested in tropical marine biology, finally seeing these organisms in real life has increased my passion even more. These experiences have also made me realise how important it is to protect and conserve coral reef ecosystems. Currently, I am working on my bachelor thesis project. I aim to understand how coral conspecifics are adapted to differences in light availability in the naturally extreme environments of the inland bays of Curaçao, and the nearby fringing reefs, along a natural environmental gradient.