Plenary Speakers
Michael Kingsford
James Cook University (Australia)
Michael is a Professor of Marine Biology in the Marine and Environmental Sciences College. He has published extensively on the ecology of reef fish, jellyfish, biological oceanography and climate change. His major areas of research over the last 5 years can be divided into the following programs: biological oceanography (with special reference to presettlement fish); ecology of jellyfish; population dynamics of reef fish; interactions between reef fish and organisms associated with reefs; the use of microchemistry to elucidate the environmental conditions experienced by fish (specially those related to pollution) and the connectivity of population of fish. His recent projects include topics about the connectivity of coral reef fish, the influence of climate change on the population dynamics of temperate fish, the ecology of cubozoan jellyfish and the elemental chemistry for biomonitoring fish movements.
Jennifer E. Purcell
Western Washington University, Bellingham (USA)
Jenny has worked on gelatinous zooplankton for 38 years. Her research experience has included all cnidarian taxa, ctenophores, and salps in Arctic, temperate, and tropical climates, from the ocean surface to the deep sea. Her research has focused on trophic ecology and population dynamics of gelatinous species. Due to increasing deterioration of coastal ecosystems, she has studied how factors including, hypoxia, warming, and acidification, affect jellyfish populations. She especially wants to know the causes of jellyfish blooms.
André Carrara Morandini
Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil)
André C. Morandini is currently an assistant professor and head of the Zoology Department in the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is a researcher in the areas of Invertebrate Zoology, Biological Oceanography and Marine Biology. His duties include mainly teaching about Invertebrates and cnidarians, and his research line is focused on the biology and systematics of gelatinous organisms, especially cnidarians (Scyphozoa and Cubozoa). His research is focused in the South Atlantic Region, but with interests in global distribution of jellyfishes.
William (Monty) Graham
University of Southern Mississippi (USA)
Monty is a biological oceanographer specialized in ecology of gelatinous zooplankton. His interest is focused in ecological implications of fishing and climate change, as well as long-term ecosystem dynamics in coastal environments. He has participated in many research projects all around the world. Currently, he works as the Director of the newly-formed School of Ocean Science & Technology at the University of Southern Mississippi, splitting his time between the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, MS and the Division of Marine Science at Stennis Space Center.