​Emma is a Team Leader of the Future Reefs Team (FRT) within the Climate Change Cluster at the University of Technology Sydney. The FRT unites coral ecophysiologists, molecular scientists, biologists, and analytical chemists to study how environmental change shapes coral fitness and survival. She is a marine biologist, Coral Expert, and National Geographic Explorer who researches the mechanisms of stress tolerance in corals.​ Potential papers we will review include the importance of extreme coral habitats:

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00004/full

Karley Feather joins the podcast to discuss her role as the lead social media strategist and photographer at the Reef Futures Consortium, where she captured the event’s biggest moments and helped bring coral restoration efforts to a wider audience. I reached out to her after seeing her stunning photography and impactful storytelling, knowing she’d be the perfect voice to share insights from the event. In this episode, we’ll dive into what inspired her passion for coral conservation, the highlights of Reef Futures, and how media can make ocean science more accessible to all.

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As a Coral Restoration Specialist and Science Communicator, Karley combines hands-on reef restoration with photography to spotlight the beauty—and urgency—of protecting our oceans.

Dr. Orion McCarthy, Science Lead at Seatrees, will appear on not one but two upcoming podcast episodes in the next 2 to 3 weeks, discussing his passion for coral conservation and the role of 3D mapping technology in global monitoring efforts. He completed his PhD at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he used photogrammetry to study coral reef changes over time in Hawaii. Before graduate school, he worked in environmental policy at the Meridian Institute in Washington, DC. His research focuses on leveraging conservation technology to evaluate the efficacy of coral reef restoration and management, bridging the gap between ecology and policy.

Co-host and Coral Currents Podcast icon image illustrator. 

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As an ecologist with a background in statistics, environmental data analysis, and ecology, Jackson specializes in understanding and mitigating human impacts on marine ecosystems. Beyond research, he is also a biological illustrator, blending science and art through his online storefront, Inverted Ink, where he brings marine life to paper with stunning detail.

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Jackson Hoeke joins this podcast after his exciting debut in Episode One: Coral Superheroes, Tiny Builders of the Reef, where he brought coral taxonomy to life—connecting their origins to jellyfish and beyond. Next time, we’ll dive into his expertise in marine introduced species and their management, discussing the challenges they pose and the role of data in conservation efforts.