Alessandra is a marine biologist from Brazil who fell in love with coral reef conservation and scientific diving. Growing up far from the ocean, she discovered her passion under water, especially when diving for research. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree, studying how shallow corals in the Gulf of Aqaba—considered a potential global coral refuge—respond to climate change through long-term monitoring and physiological analyses at the Coral Monitoring Station. For her Ph.D., she will expand her research to mesophotic corals, investigating their responses to environmental stressors through additional deep monitoring stations. The WDHOF Advanced Dive Training Grant - Technical Diving will help her acquire the skills and training needed to access deeper monitoring stations and advance her research on mesophotic coral resilience in a rapidly changing climate.

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