Dr. Tracy Ainsworth – Associate Professor, The University of New South Wales
Tracy is a marine scientist with a passion for corals, coral reefs, marine conservation and marine ecosystem conservation. Tracy has spent the last 20 years of her career studying the biology and ecology of corals and coral reefs, and is passionate about science to support evidence-based conservation. Tracy leads the Norfolk Island coral health assessment and research program, and co-leads the Great Barrier Reef research program.

Email: tracy.ainsworth@unsw.edu.au

Dr. Bill Leggat – Professor, The University of Newcastle
Bill is a marine scientist who has focused on applying molecular approaches (transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics) to understand how marine organisms respond to human stressors. His over 2 decades of research links molecular processes, to phenotype, and ecological patterns, to understand how marine organisms will cope with future climate change. Bill co-leads the Cook Island coral health assessment and research programs, Lord Howe Island and Great Barrier Reef coral health assessment and research programs.

Email: bill.leggat@newcastle.edu.au

Dr. Troy Gaston – Professor, The University of Newcastle
Troy has over 25 years experience in conducting environmental health monitoring programs in coastal ecosystems. He uses novel chemical tracers to determine food web interactions, human disturbance and the presence of pollutants in waterways. He also uses remote underwater technologies to survey fish and invertebrate communities. Troy Gaston leads the catchment-to-coral research programs and coral health assessment programs for Cook Islands and Samoa Research Program.

Email: troy.gaston@newcastle.edu.au

Dr Moninya Roughan – Professor, The University of New South Wales
Moninya is affiliated with the Coral Reef Health Program through her role as Oceanography leader within our successful Australian government Our Marine Parks funding. Moninya is a Professor of Oceanography at The University of New SouthWales and a recognised global leader in Oceanography. Moninya works closely with governments and communities across the Indo-Pacific and South-Pacific where her research is transforming our understanding of how climate change will impact these critically important ocean systems.

Email: moninyan.roughan@unsw.edu.au

​Susan Prior – Freelance writer, Editor and Owner Norfolk Island Time, and PhD Candidate The University of Newcastle
Susan is a PhD candidatte, science communicator, editor, and writer who works on Norfolk Island. In addition to working as a freelance writer and editor, she documents her time on the island through photo galleries and stories at norfolkislandtime.com.

Dr Tom Moir – Benthic Ecologist, Research Associate. The University of Newcastle. Tom is completing his PhD at the University of Newcastle and joined the Coral Reef Health Team as a field ecologist. His PhD research focuses on understanding the effects of environmental warming on seagrass ecosystems. His research has also investigated the effects of climate change on temperate seagrass fish communities. He joined the Coral Reef Health team in December 2024 as a benthic ecologist and field-based research specialist undertaking assessments of benthic community structure and organism health in logoonal reefs of Norfolk Island, Cook Islands, and assisting research on the Southern Great Barrier Reef and Lord Howe Island.

Dr Pietro Pollo – Data Scientist University of Newcastle and The University of New South Wales. Pietro is from Brazil and been in Australia since 2019, completing his PhD at UNSW in 2023. Peitro’s research background is has behavioural ecology and sexual selection, with side adventures in arthropod systematics and evolutionary psychology. He has also worked at Arludo as a data scientist, analysing data from educational games and creating learning tools for students. In 2025 he is now joining the Coral Reef Health Team exploring the world of marine biology and coral and coral reef health.

Dr Roisin Hayden – Coral Biologist, University of Newcastle and The University of New South Wales.

Roisin joins the Coral Health Team after relocating from Hong Kong to Australia, Ro completed her PhD at the University of Hong Kong, where her work focused on nutritional mutualism of corals and their symbionts. Working with the Coral Health Team Ro will be undertaking research on the Southern Great Barrier Reef investigating coral recovery from bleaching events as part of our Australian Research Council funded discovery project.

Paige Sawyers – Ph.D. Candidate, The University of New South Wales
Paigecompleted her Bachelor of Science (Honours) focused on characterising the symbionts associated microbiome of Heron Island and Lord Howe Island. Growing up near the water, Paige has always had an interest in all marine things, however, her true passions revolve around trying to change the misconceptions that surround sharks and educating the public on how phenomenal coral reefs truly are. ​ In her PhD Paige is studying the impacts of coral bleaching to corals of the Lord Howe Marine Park, and has also undertaken coral bleaching monitoring on reefs of Samoa.

James Wong – PhD Candidate, The University of Newcastle
James is a PhD Candidate at UoN, studying the ecology of subtropical reef fishes at Norfolk Island. He has a Bachelor of Science majoring in Marine Science and completed an Honours with UoN studying food web dynamics of seagrass-associated fishes in Lake Macquarie. Jim loves loves all things fish and foodwebs!

Holly Hendry – Masters Student University of Glasgow visiting student University of New South Wales.
Holly is completing her integrated master’s at the University of Glasgow in Marine and Freshwater Biology. As part of her degree, she is undertaking a research practicum at the University of New South Wales where her research focuses on seasonality of heat stress responses in corals of the Great Barrier Reef. 

Amy Levinson – Honours Student, The University of Newcastle
Amy holds a Bachelor of Science from Southern Cross University, specialising in Marine Systems, and previously worked as a research assistant in a benthic ecology lab investigating the impacts of thermal stress on intertidal rocky platforms. She is now completing her Honours at the University of Newcastle, with research based at Heron Island on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Her project focuses on how different coral species respond to and recover from varying levels of heat stress, using an interspecies comparison to investigate recovery processes and improve understanding of coral resilience in the face of climate change. 

Roan Panther – Honours Student, The University of Newcastle
Roan in undertaking his Honours degree with the University of Newcastle where his research is investigating Habitat Associations of Fishes on a Subtropical Reefs of Norfolk Island. He is comparing fish assemblages between five different habitat types (coral reef, sand, macroalgae, Caulerpa bed, and reef/macroalgae mix) to aid our understanding of subtropical reefs! Roan tells us that while may be studying fish, he has a strong interest in coral reef systems as well!