early-career-researchers-announced-for-2020
We are excited to announce our successful first round of Early Career Researchers for 2020 are:
Jackie Raw
- Jackie is a postdoctoral fellow at the Nelson Mandela University (Port Elizabeth, South Africa) where she completed her PhD in 2016. In the last 3 years her research has focused on assessing responses of blue carbon habitats in South Africa to current and predicted threats associated with global climate change. She has used quantitative modelling approaches to examine drivers of mangrove distribution and predict the potential for range expansion at the southern African continental limit. She has also carried out spatial modelling to assess responses of salt marshes to sea-level rise and predict loss of habitat as a result of coastal squeeze. Jackie has worked collaboratively with the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the South African Environmental and Observation Network (SAEON) towards knowledge transfer across the science, policy and management spectrum in South Africa. She intends to use these collaborations, and those developed through the Blue Carbon Hub, to develop innovative approaches to restore and maintain blue carbon ecosystems in South Africa.
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Project
To develop a strategy to identify estuarine ecosystems in South Africa where blue carbon habitats can be restored to improve estuarine health and provide sustained support to rural communities.
Sandaruwan Lahiru
- Sandaruwan is a scientist working in the national aquatic resources research agency (NARA) of Sri Lanka. Sandaruwan has gained experience in environmental social economics and marketing aspects of the fisheries industry of Sri Lanka, with a particular focus on understanding the factors that influence wellbeing in the fishing communities, the effects of non-tariff regulations on fish trade and sustainable development goals of stakeholders, the gender role in the fisheries sector and studying the relationship between fishing communities and natural environment. Sandaruwan obtained Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree in University of Ruhuna in Sri Lanka, a postgraduate marketing diploma from Sri Lanka institute of marketing (SLIM) and completed a Master of Science degree at the university of Peradeniya.
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Project
To prepare a methodology handbook with case studies for economic assessment of the services of blue carbon ecosystems and other marine ecosystems.
Milica Stankovic
- Milica is a post-doctoral fellow at the Seaweed and Seagrass Research Unit at Prince of Songkla University in Thailand. Her research focus in seagrass ecology started in 2014 and since then she finished her PhD with the specific interest on blue carbon in tropical ecosystems and their response to climate change. Milica’s work tries to combine various approaches of ecology, remote sensing and modelling to understand seagrass blue carbon and how it can be effectively measured and used as a climate change mitigation tool. She has hosted and led few workshops on mapping to improve the knowledge of the students and researchers on effective monitoring tools in coastal ecosystems.
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Project
To compare remote sensing methodologies of mapping seagrass extent.
