Carmela Isabel Nunez Lendo Australian Marine Sciences Association 2022

Carmela Isabel Nunez Lendo

I am a Marine Biologist with research interests in the effects of active coral restoration on the health and resilience of coral reefs in the face of projected climate change. I grew up in Spain where I completed my 5-year degree in Biology with a specialization in marine biology and chemistry at the University of Valencia. I also obtained a second 2-year Masters degree in Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management from Wageningen University & Research (the Netherlands) in 2018 with a focus on coral restoration through (a)sexual reproduction. I started my career assessing the environmental impact of pollutants on aquatic ecosystems and marine organisms. Finding my passion in 2015 when I witnessed an extraordinary coral spawning event during a reef restoration project in the Bahamas. This was a turning point in my personal and professional life. Since that moment, I have dedicated myself to specialize and acquire cutting-edge techniques for the conservation and restoration of coral reefs. I expanded my education by studying “Assisted Evolution” (via hybridization and selective breeding) in the Philippines. After that, I specialized in the cryopreservation of corals, rearing techniques for baby corals, and coral propagation and restoration, in French Polynesia and Hawai’i. I am a National Geographic Early Career Explorer since 2018 for a project held in French Polynesia about the implementation of active marine conservation strategies (propagation techniques and coral nurseries) to improve coral growth and increase the survival of corals. During my project, I was awarded the UTS President’s Scholarship and International Research Scholarship to undertake my PhD at the University of Technology Sydney in the Future Reefs Research Program within the Climate Change Cluster (C3). I recently finished my PhD and am focused on consultancy projects and documentary production.