Presenting at the International Coral Reef Symposium

Last week I had the privilege of presenting my work at the 16th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Auckland, New Zealand! It was an honour to join more than 2,100 delegates from 93 countries in attending the global flagship coral reef conference.

Presenting my work at ICRS 2026. Photo credit to Mandy Cheung

(Half of) MSEL lab members at ICRS: Liam, Pete, Paula, Javi, Suki, Kailash, me, and Greta

From the incredible haka at the opening ceremony, to inspiring talks and posters, reconnecting with collaborators and former colleagues, and exploring the beautiful landscapes around Auckland, I left feeling inspired, grateful, and hopeful for the future of our coral reefs.

I presented the first chapter of my thesis in a speed talk. In this chapter, I developed a fish population model to explore how coral bleaching and cyclones affect reef fish populations, fisheries, and marine protected areas (MPAs). One of the key findings from my preliminary work is that the benefits of MPAs are highly context dependent. Their effectiveness depends on the species being protected and how vulnerable their habitats are to climate disturbances.

I'm especially grateful to my lab mates in the Marine Spatial Ecology Lab at UQ!From the incredible haka at the opening ceremony, to inspiring talks and posters, reconnecting with collaborators and former colleagues, and exploring the beautiful landscapes around Auckland, I left feeling inspired, grateful, and hopeful for the future of our coral reefs. Their encouragement, feedback, and support have helped me create the best version of this research project.

Looking forward to sharing more results as this research develops! Connect with me if you're interested in coral reef ecology, fish behaviour, marine protected areas, or ecological modelling.