Alyssa Giffin
Alyssa joins us for her PhD studies after completing her MSc in Tropical Marine Biology and Ecology at James Cook University in Townsville.
Alyssa’s PhD research will focus on the functional connectivity of coral reef fishes during post-larval migrations between seascapes at local scales within the South Pacific. She will also explore the relationship between connectivity and ecosystem-based adaption and use her findings to aid in spatial conservation planning.
Her masters research focused on the ontogenetic shifts in microhabitat use of coral reef fishes in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea.
At the National Sea Simulator at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, she helped maintain the experimental tank systems for a range of projects relating to the health and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).
Since her Masters, Alyssa worked on coral reef projects with NGOs, universities and tourism operators in Indonesia, the GBR and in the Bahamas. Topics included:
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Long term reef monitoring programs
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Juvenile crown-of-thorns monitoring and removal
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Coral spawning and recruitment
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3D modelling of reefs
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Reef nursery and restoration
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Undergraduate and post-graduate reef ecology and survey technique courses
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Sponge bioerosion rates and effects of ocean acidification on crustose coralline algae
Her project will link with the Global Wetlands program (GLoW), under the supervision of Prof. Rod Connolly and Dr Chris Brown.