During my PhD (University of Victoria, Canada) I investigated how climate change is affecting the relationships between tropical corals and the microscopic algae that live inside them - a fragile partnership that is crucial to the survival of coral reefs this century. This demanded a breadth of technical skills, from planning experiments and expeditions to conducting underwater fieldwork, sequencing DNA and coding.
Yet generating novel and compelling research was a far more creative process than I had anticipated. I especially relished opportunities to hone my writing and presentation skills, engaging both academic and public audiences.
© E. Woodburn
© L. Lachs
I learned to dive in a murky reservoir next to the UK’s busiest motorway - a glimpse of a fish between abandoned shopping trolleys was enough for me to become hooked. Through scuba diving, I became fascinated with the vibrant yet alien world of coral reefs.
I got a taste for research during my undergraduate degree (University of Oxford, UK), uncovering insidious drivers of female aggression in fruit flies. I then completed a master's (University of Miami, USA) trialling methods for increasing corals’ tolerance to high temperatures, before continuing with a PhD.
I believe the best collaborations are built on empathy, curiosity, lateral thinking and a sense of humour, and I strive to ensure everyone, regardless of seniority, feels valued and respected.
I’m committed to mentorship and to creating opportunities that support the advancement of women in STEM. I’m driven by the belief that the most successful conservation is achieved in partnership with local communities, not simply carried out within them.
Featured Projects
Publication generated from my PhD research in Palau, which revealed certain algal symbionts that can help identify heatwave-sensitive corals on chronically disturbed "hotspot" reefs.
Buzzoni, D., L. Lachs, E. Beauchamp, et al. (2026). Algal Symbionts Indicate Heatwave Vulnerability in Corals From Hotspots but Not From Thermal Refugia. Molecular Ecology, 35(2), e70243.
Comic abstract for my Kiritimati research: The algal symbiont ‘characters’ tracked for almost a decade in a population of brain corals through the 2015–16 tropical-Pacific marine heatwave, featuring ‘hard-as-nails’ Durusdinium.
Lessons from Palau: The performance of some symbionts under heat stress depends on the condition of their coral host, becoming problematic only when corals have already had to deal with harsh environmental conditions.
Publication generated from my PhD research in Kiritimati, which revealed the algal symbionts in corals remain completely transformed ten years after an extreme marine heatwave.
Buzzoni, D., A. Van Nynatten, R. Cunning, and J. K. Baum. (2026). Persistent Legacy Effects of Marine Heatwaves on Coral Symbioses. Global Change Biology, 32(3), e70818.
© G. Gourlay
I am committed to creating opportunities that support the advancement of women in STEM and have thoroughly enjoyed fostering several close mentorship relationships since the start of my graduate studies.
I loved my time volunteering with the Canadian Association of Girls in Science in running STEM activity days (2022-2025), such as ‘The Science of Scuba’ (pictured above). Read more about this in my CV.
© C. Dennison
Publication generated from my Master's research in Miami, which trialed a novel method of seeding coral colonies with heat-tolerant algal symbionts using tissue grafts induced to host these symbionts through experimental bleaching.
Buzzoni, D., Cunning, R. & Baker, A.C. (2023). The role of background algal symbionts as drivers of shuffling to thermotolerant Symbiodiniaceae following bleaching in three Caribbean coral species. Coral Reefs, 42, 1285–1295.
Scientific advisor and contributing videographer for comedian Ze Frank's educational (and characteristically irreverent) episode on reef corals.
I enjoy sharing my research with both academic and public audiences. Watch samples of my presentatation style below.
A public talk on innovation in coral reef conservation.
A run-through of a public academic seminar summarising my PhD research.
Skills & Experience
Field research
Leadership
- Independent MS field experiment, Miami
- Independent PhD field project, Palau
- Joint scientific lead, Kiritimati expedition
Techniques
- Reef surveys and mapping
- Coral coring and tissue sampling
- Coral spawning and bleaching experiments
- Coral husbandry
- Imaging-PAM fluorometry
Qualifications
- PADI Divemaster
- AAUS & CAUS Scientific Diver
- Wilderness First Responder
© E. Woodburn
Molecular ecology
- DNA extraction and spectrophotometry
- PCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR)
- Gel electrophoresis
- Next-generation DNA sequencing (amplicon metabarcoding)
- Bioinformatic analysis of sequencing data
Computing
- Advanced R for statistical modelling and visualisation
- GIS
- Bash scripting
- GitHub version control
- HTML/CSS
Research & fieldwork locations
Select a marker to explore my research and fieldwork experience around the world.
CV
View full CVPeer-reviewed publications
- Bath, E., Buzzoni, D., Ralph, T., Wigby, S. & Sepil, I. (2021). “Male condition influences female post-mating aggression and feeding in Drosophila.” Functional Ecology, 35, 1288–1298. View publication
- Buzzoni, D., Cunning, R. & Baker, A.C. (2023). “The role of background algal symbionts as drivers of shuffling to thermotolerant Symbiodiniaceae following bleaching in three Caribbean coral species.” Coral Reefs, 42, 1285–1295. View publication
- Lachs, L., Humanes, A., Mumby, P.J., Donner, S.D., Bythell, J., Beauchamp, E., Bukurou, L., Buzzoni, D., de la Torre Cerro, R., East, H.K., Edwards, A.J., Golbuu, Y., Martinez, H.M., van der Steeg, E., Ward, A. & Guest, J.R. (2024). “High coral heat tolerance at local-scale thermal refugia.” PLOS Climate, 3(7), e0000453. View publication
- Humanes, A., Lachs, L., Beauchamp, E., Bukurou, L., Buzzoni, D., Bythell, J., Craggs, J., de la Torre, R., Edwards, A.J., Golbuu, Y., Martinez, H.M., Palmowski, P., van der Steeg, E., Sweet, M., Ward, A. & Guest, J.R. (2024). “Selective breeding enhances coral heat tolerance to marine heatwaves.” Nature Communications, 15, 8703. View publication
- Starko, S., Epstein, G., Chalifour, L., Bruce, K., Buzzoni, D., Csordas, M., Dimoff, S., Hansen, R., Maucieri, D., McHenry, J., Tietjen, K.L., Timmer, B. & Baum, J.K. (2025). “Ecological responses to extreme climatic events: a systematic review of the 2014–2016 Northeast Pacific marine heatwave.” Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, 63, 42–96. View publication
- de la Torre Cerro, R., Beauchamp, E., Buzzoni, D., Craggs, J., East, H.K., Edwards, A.J., Golbuu, Y., Humanes, A., Lachs, L., Martinez, H.M., Mill, A., van der Steeg, E., Ward, A. & Guest, J.R. (2025). “Evaluating the role of moonlight-darkness dynamics as proximate spawning cues in an Acropora coral.” Coral Reefs, 44, 501–512. View publication
- Buzzoni, D., Lachs, L., Beauchamp, E., Bukurou, L., Bythell, J., Edwards, A.J., Golbuu, Y., Humanes, A., Martinez, H.M., Mereb, G., Baum, J.K. & Guest, J.R. (2026). “Algal symbionts indicate heatwave vulnerability in corals from hotspots but not from thermal refugia.” Molecular Ecology, 35(2), e70243. View publication
- Buzzoni, D., Van Nynatten, A., Cunning, R. & Baum, J.K. (2026). “Persistent legacy effects of marine heatwaves on coral symbioses.” Global Change Biology, 32(3), e70818. View publication
Awards & fellowships
Competitive research funding secured: USD $8,000 for my MS and CAD $173,490 for my PhD.
- University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School David Rowland Fellowship 2019 · USD $5,000
- Gumbo Limbo’s Gordon Gilbert Research Grant 2019 · USD $2,500
- Fieldwork assistance from SeaKeepers Society (project page) 2019 · est. USD $500
- University of Victoria Graduate Entrance Award 2020 · CAD $5,000
- University of Victoria Graduate Award 2020–2022 · CAD $6,472
- CUPE Conference Award Fund 2021 · CAD $360
- Margaret ‘Marmie’ Hess Graduate Fellowship (read anouncement) 2021–2024 · CAD $45,000
- Study Abroad Studentship from The Leverhulme Trust 2022–2024 · CAD $95,000
- Maureen De Burgh Memorial Scholarship 2023 · CAD $900
- Cassels Shaw Graduate Fellowship 2024 · CAD $6,000
- Alfred and Adriana Potvin Graduate Scholarship in Ocean Sciences 2024 · CAD $1,653
- King Platt Memorial Award 2025 · CAD $3,000
- Dr. Arne H. Lane Graduate Fellowships in Marine Sciences 2025 · CAD $10,105
I also contributed to the writing and editing of a successful CAD $900,000 NSERC Discovery Grant for a tropical coral-reef research programme in 2023.
Scientific presentations
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Final Honours School, University of Oxford, UK — “Evidence for the adaptive response of tropical corals to climate change-induced bleaching.”
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Intern Symposium, Cape Eleuthera Institute, Bahamas — “Genotype and nursery effects on Acropora cervicornis growth.”
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Protect Our Reefs Symposium, Mote Marine Laboratory, USA — “Vectoring thermotolerant symbionts into restored corals: a field study.”
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Marine Biology & Ecology Departmental Seminars , University of Miami, USA — “Hard graft: Vectoring thermotolerant symbionts into corals.”
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Graduate & Postdoctoral Research Symposium , University of Miami, USA — “Primed candidates: Lab manipulations for field interventions seeding corals with thermally tolerant algal symbionts.”
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Reef Conservation UK, online — “A novel field-based method of vectoring thermotolerant algal symbionts into coral colonies.”
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Western Society of Naturalists, online — presentation on vectoring thermotolerant algal symbionts into coral colonies.
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International Coral Reef Symposium , online — “A novel field-based method of vectoring thermotolerant algal symbionts into coral colonies.”
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International Coral Reef Symposium , Bremen, Germany — “Marine heatwaves and local stressors drive partner shifts and diversity changes across coral–Symbiodiniaceae symbioses.” Featured in the International Coral Reef Society newsletter, Reef Encounters .
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Advanced Training Course Attendee Symposium , Marine Biological Laboratory, USA — “Main character energy: The role of algal symbionts in shaping coral reefs’ responses to heatwaves.”
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Departmental Graduate Symposium, University of Victoria, Canada — “Does local disturbance influence reversion to pre-heatwave symbionts in corals recovering from a severe heatwave?”
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Departmental Graduate Symposium, University of Victoria, Canada — “Multi-year heatwave hangover in coral symbioses.” Awarded second place for best presentation.
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Departmental Graduate Symposium, University of Victoria, Canada — “Can symbiotic indicators predict intrapopulation coral heatwave tolerance in thermal hotspots and refugia?”
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Departmental Seminar, University of Victoria, Canada — “Persistent changes in algal symbionts on the world’s coral reefs under climate change.”
Teaching & mentoring
Mentoring
- Mentored two undergraduate honours students in field and molecular techniques, coral husbandry, scientific writing and data management, University of Miami, 2018–2020.
- Mentored a high-school research scholar in DNA extraction and spectrophotometry at the Palau International Coral Reef Center, 2022.
- Mentored an undergraduate research assistant in molecular methods for coral ecology at the University of Victoria, 2023.
- Organised and led a weekly coral-reef ecology paper discussion for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, 2022–2024.
- Student-talk judge at the Pacific Ecology and Evolution Conference, 2022.
- Vancouver Island Regional Science Fair judge, 2023.
Teaching
- Taught coral-reef ecology to kindergarten, middle-school and high-school students at the Cape Eleuthera Institute, 2017.
- Tutor in biological sciences and scientific critical thinking, UK, 2017–2018.
- Guest lecturer for three graduate and undergraduate courses in coral resilience, conservation and marine heatwaves, 2020–2024.
- Teaching assistant for courses in Reef Coral Biology, Ecology Evolution & Biodiversity, and Principles of Ecology, 2020–2021.
- Grade 11 lecture and capstone mentorship on coral conservation, 2023.
- Coral-reef biology classes for pupils aged 4–7 at St Stephen’s Primary School, 2023 and 2025.
Manuscript peer review
2022: BioScience 2023: Microbial Ecology, Coral Reefs 2024: Coral Reefs, PLOS ONE 2026: Scientific Reports, Ecology and Evolution, Communications Biology
Science communication
- Scientific advisor and contributing videographer Initiated a collaboration with biology educator and comedian Ze Frank for True Facts: Reef Coral is a Crazy Animal, which has received more than 1.5 million views.
- Canadian Association of Girls in Science Volunteered at STEM activity days from 2022–2025 and coordinated the interactive events The Science of Scuba and Help the Kelp.
- SciComCan Selected as one of 30 participants nationwide for the 2025 science-communication programme.
Selected outreach
- Marine-science activities at Ocean Kids, University of Miami, 2019.
- Marine-science activities at the Women in Science Showcase, University of Miami, 2019.
- Panellist at the Biscayne National Park Palette Knife Exhibition opening, 2019.
- Five public talks through the University of Victoria Speakers Bureau, 2021.
- Marine-invertebrate show-and-tell dives for Oaklands Elementary School, 2025.
Ocean Art & Photography
I've been fortunate to encounter some of the ocean's most fascinating creatures and ecosystems through my research. I love sharing these moments through photography, videography and even ceramics.
Ceramics
Photography
Reef characters
Tiny wonders
Alien forms
