Roima Paewai-Huggins

Roima  graduated from the Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Biology. Her final thesis focused on the role of coastal sediment in mitigating increased ocean acidification, under the supervision of Dr. Kay Vopel. This research, in addition to work done in Dr. Kay Vopel’s lab sparked her interest in climate change mitigation and conservation science.

Passionate about the conservation of both animals and ecosystems, she has been involved in two sea turtle conservation and research programs: La Tortuga Feliz Conservation Project in Costa Rica, and The Caraplace-Turtle Research Pathology Lab in Townsville, Australia. She has also worked hands on with indigenous groups in the Solomon Islands to determine the health of both their fisheries and home reefs in order to implement management plans for more sustainable fishing practices.

Roima completed her Professional Master’s Degree through James Cook University, Townsville Australia. Her final project involved working under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Bostrom-Einarsson, Dr. Ian McLeod, and Dr. Naomi Gardiner- updating the International Coral Reef Restoration Database as part of the ‘Best Practice for Coral Reef Restoration on the Great Barrier Reef’. This project is where she was first introduced to the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.

Her enthusiasm for the conservation of species and environments coupled with her interest in climate change mitigation have aligned perfectly with the next chapter in her academic journey. She is now starting her PhD at the University of Queensland under the supervision of Professor Peter Mumby, as part of the rubble stabilization research crew within the MSEL Lab; with prospects focusing on effectiveness of stabilizing methods as well as coral recruitment and survival in rubble beds.