Coral reefs are the most diverse marine ecosystems on Earth, yet one of the most threatened due to climate change in synergy with growing local pressures. As a marine biologist and geoscientist, my investigations integrate information from fossils and modern corals to better understand how reefs have responded to past climate events and predict how they are likely to face the current climate crisis. Under the framework of the novel discipline Conservation Paleobiology, my goal is to identify which habitats have served as refugia for reef corals across their geological record. Ultimately, my studies aim to offer reliable advice to conservation agencies to protect coral reefs.
My main interest is the study of the origins and maintenance of marine biodiversity in the Coral Triangle region in Southeast Asia. Through intensive fieldwork and the exhaustive examination of museum collections, I have found that turbid habitats have played a major role as cradles of reef diversity and as refugia for reef corals in this region. I focus on the diversity and evolution of coral reef ecosystems during the Cenozoic. I work in close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams that use biogeographic, molecular, phylogenetic, and geochemistry tools.
Other current areas of interest include:
- (Palaeo)ecology of coral reefs and associated biota
- Diversity and distribution patterns of deep-sea corals
