INSEAD Annual Report 2023-20143 test - Flipbook - Page 29
Scientist Spotlight
Marine Science 2023
Jyodee Sannassy
Pilly
PhD student, Bangor University, UK
Student: Reef health (2017 - 2023)
“My research is helping
us to better understand
remote reefs and how they
compare to the degraded
reefs in many other areas
in the Indian Ocean to help
improve their management.”
Holly Stokes
PhD student, Swansea University, UK
Student: Sea Turtle Conservation
“The Chagos Archipelago
supports all life stages
of two turtle species and
provides a great opportunity
to study immature turtles
– a currently understudied
life stage. Our research in
the coves of Diego Garcia
shows the highest densities
of immature hawksbill
turtles in the world.”
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Jyodee started her PhD in 2018 and is
due to graduate in 2023. Her research is
on the growth, cover and populations of
bottom dwelling invertebrates, such as
corals, sea fans and sponges, of remote
reefs in the central Indian Ocean. These
reefs have been monitored since 1978
and assessing the changes in coral reef
benthic communities has proved to be vital
in understanding the future condition and
trajectory of the marine environment in the
present warming world. Jyodee’s research
use isolated reefs as an ocean observatory,
as remoteness from direct human impacts
provides a benchmark against which other
reefs can be assessed.
Holly began her PhD in 2020, and is using
a range of technologies, including remote
cameras and drone surveys, to conduct
research on sea turtle ecology in the
Chagos Archipelago. Estimating the total
number of individuals of a population,
along with breeding success, is vital to
understanding the ecosystem role of the
two species (green and hawksbill) and their
population dynamics. Holly has conducted
long-term field research to observe nesting
behaviour and hatchling emergence and
investigate how variations in beach zone,
seasonality, beach vegetation, predation
and temperature influence their success.
She has also been exploring how sea level
rise may affect turtle nesting beaches
and how rising temperatures may impact
nesting conditions.
