Dr. Veronica Radice is a marine biologist who is fascinated by the mysteries of the ocean, from tropical shallow reefs to the deep-sea and mesophotic reefs in between! Her research investigates coral physiology in relation to environmental conditions. She uses field-based experiments, biogeochemical techniques, and genetic tools to study corals in shallow versus deep reef environments, with a focus on lower-light mesophotic coral ecosystems. Veronica is interested in understanding the impacts of ocean warming on coral recovery following thermal stress events that cause coral bleaching.

Veronica received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, USA) and then worked in a deep-sea ecology lab (Prof Erik Cordes) at Temple University (Philadelphia, USA) where she was a research assistant and lab manager for two years.

As a member of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Veronica completed her PhD and was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab at the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) studying tropical coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Her PhD was focused on understanding how the trophic ecology of shallow and deep corals may be influenced by oceanographic processes such as upwelling, which brings important deep-water nutrients to shallow waters. Such nutrient fluxes may be important to the coral holobiont, which can utilize both dissolved and particulate food sources. Her research examined how environmental differences such as depth and reef exposure influences coral holobiont metabolism.

As an XL Catlin Seaview Survey Ocean Scholar, Veronica had the opportunity to survey coral reefs across the Coral Triangle (Pacific Ocean) and in several locations in the central Indian Ocean. Veronica conducted research in the Maldives, an archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean. What makes the Maldives particularly unique is the atolls’ location upon an oceanic ridge and the seasonally-reversing monsoons. This combination of bathymetry and climate makes the Maldives a great place to study the influence of oceanographic processes on coral reefs.

Twitter:  @Dr_Radice

Email:  v.radice [at] uq [dot] edu [dot] au

Personal profiles:

Research Gate – Veronica Radice

Google Scholar – Veronica Radice