I am a Postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama with a broad interest in coral reef ecology and in particular coral early life history dynamics. I obtained my PhD at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia where I began my journey working in coral systems and with their early life stages.

At STRI, my research focuses on understanding coral coexistence through early life competition studies. I conduct novel controlled experiments with coral larvae and recent settlers, complemented by in-situ observations. Through my research, I aim to uncover key ecological processes driving early life history dynamics and understand how these critical early stages impact broader coral community structure and ecosystem dynamics.

Additionally, I am analysing photomosaics of Tropical East Pacific Pocillopora-domainted reefs, captured under the Rohr Reef Resilience project. Utilizing modern advances in photogrammetry and automated AI analysis, we monitor coral community structure over space and time, including during heat stress events.