Verena Schoepf is Assistant Professor of coral reef biology at the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Department of Freshwater and Marine Biology, at the University of Amsterdam. She is also a MacGillavry Fellow and VIDI Laureate. Previously, she was a Research Fellow and Program Co-Leader at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at the University of Western Australia. Verena has a strong background in both biology and goechmistry and obtained her PhD from The Ohio State University (USA). Her research and efforts to communicate science and promote women in STEM have been recognized with several awards, including “Superstar of STEM” and a “Young Tall Poppy Science Award”. She is also a TEDx speaker and her research on “super corals” was featured in the 2016 documentary series “Women and Oceans”. She is currently the Chair of the IBED Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, and also serves on the Board of the Women in the Faculty of Science (WiF) Group.

Verena’s research explores how reef-building corals are affected by climate and environmental change. Coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots of immense socio-economic importance; yet, warming and acidifying oceans severely threaten corals reefs and the ecosystem services they provide. By integrating biogeochemical and eco-physiological analyses, Verena’s research aims to provide new insights into the mechanisms and traits that enable coral resistance to multiple climate change stressors and promote their adaptive capacity in a changing ocean.

For more information, please visit Verena’s personal website.