Laura joined the Environmental Research NERC DTP for her DPhil project on coral reef connectivity in the Indian Ocean. Before coming to Oxford, she studied Biology at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen in Germany and moved closer to the water afterwards to study Marine Biology and Ecology at James Cook University in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Hooked on coral reefs and climate change she pursued a Master’s in Tropical Marine Biology at the University of Essex in the UK. Her interests in modelling coral distribution and climate change scenarios led to a Research Associate position at the Duke University Marine Laboratory in North Carolina working on ecological and social impacts of marine protected areas.

Now back in the UK, her research aims to develop a better understanding of coral reef connectivity in the Indian Ocean by linking reef resilience to climate and connectivity patterns and building connectivity models for the British Indian Ocean Territory, one of the world’s largest no-take marine reserves.