I am originally from South Africa, but also grew up in Botswana where my family still live. I was educated at secondary school in the United Kingdom and studied Journalism and Post-Graduate English Literature at Rhodes University in South Africa.
As well as working for two years as a trade industry magazine journalist and sub-editor, and several years of intermittent freelance journalistic work, I have 10 years' field experience as a marine ecology trainer and project manager and PADI scuba diving instructor in South Africa, Mozambique, Cuba, Honduras, and Indonesia.
My work has included:
- Developing, managing, and curating citizen science marine database identification projects
- Helping to develop a marine ecology training lecture series, compiling a student manual, presenting the lectures, and running practical exercises
- Working as an expedition Site Manager and Dive Operations Manager
- Positions as a Research Dive Coordinator and Safety Diver
I am currently completing a PhD focusing on coral restoration and historical changes in the coral community in the Wakatobi National Park in central Indonesia, specifically focused on the genus Acropora. I also serve as Marine Ecology Supervisor on the advisory board of a South African NPO focused on providing students to assist in data collection for research and citizen science projects.
My fields of interest and (varying levels of) expertise include:
- Marine ecology (particularly Indo-Pacific corals and fish)
- Coral reef restoration techniques
- Marine megafauna, specifically sea turtles, large groupers, mobulid rays, and elasmobranchs
- Integrated Water Resource Management and the use of biotechnology to remediate and restore eutrophic water bodies
- Amateur naturalist work, with a particular interest in Southern African birds and terrestrial wildlife
- Scuba Diving
My aim on Wikipedia is to help develop content that may be lacking in any of my fields of interest, as well as using my editing and proofreading expertise to assist with editing existing pages. Hopefully my contributions will grow and develop as I become acquainted with the processes involved and as I potentially get a bit more time, once I have completed my PhD studies.