Samantha Goyen

I am a second year PhD candidate from the Future Reefs lab within the Climate Change Cluster at UTS. So far in my PhD I have presented my research at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Hawaii 2016 which was a fantastic learning and networking opportunity. I have also published a paper and have another in review looking at Symbiodinium functional diversity and thermal tolerance.

I am particularly interested in the future of coral reefs as highly vulnerable ecosystems at the ‘frontline’ of environmental change. With a decline in the productivity and growth of coral reef ecosystems as well as changes in the distribution and function of corals, there are major environmental and social consequences as millions rely on coral reefs worldwide. Corals are such complex organisms and we have so much more to understand about them and I want to contribute to that knowledge. I have grown up snorkeling and diving the Great Barrier Reef and I love getting out there in the quirky temperate waters of Sydney. It is vital at this time that we understand these ecosystems and the corals within them in the context of climate change and how we can best manage for that change.

August 2016