Researcher biography
I am a PhD student in the School of Biological Sciences under the supervision of Cynthia Riginos. My research focuses on the genomic basis of local adaptation in Great Barrier Reef corals and is part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation program.
My love for nature and particularly the marine environment started very young. Growing up in Guadeloupe, a French island in the Caribbeans, I was surrounded by stunning landscapes and coral reefs, which fostered my curiosity. I completed my Bachelor degree at the Marine Biology Research Station of Roscoff in France, where I majored in Biology and Mathematics. I then enrolled the Erasmus Mundus Master degree in Evolutionary Biology and graduated from Uppsala University and Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich. After a year and a half of volunteering for non-governmental organisations (Sea Shepherd and Marine Conservation Philippines) and working as a visiting student at KAUST university, I decided to move to Australia and join the Riginos lab at UQ.
My current research makes use of genomic and environmental data to better understand the diversity, connectivity and local adaptation of coral populations. Using population genetics as well as experimental approaches, I aim to better understand the adaptive potential and resilience of corals across the Great Barrier Reef and to provide useful information for the implementation of evolutionary-sound conservation strategies.
Publication
Meziere, Z., Rich, W. A., Carvalho, S., Benzoni, F., Morán, X. A. G., & Berumen, M. L. (2021). Stylophora under stress: A review of research trends and impacts of stressors on a model coral species. Science of The Total Environment, 151639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151639