Dr Stephanie Venables
MOZAMBIQUE
Senior Scientist, Marine Megafauna Foundation
Stephanie is a marine ecologist and a passionate conservationist. She is a Senior Scientist with the Marine Megafauna Foundation based in southern Mozambique, where her research aims to gather vital ecological information to better understand threatened marine species, particularly sharks and rays. She works with a range of species from benthic-dwelling wedgefish to ocean-roaming manta rays and whale sharks, gathering information that can be used to guide effective conservation strategies to protect these vulnerable species.
Stephanie’s work in research and conservation has taken her to far-flung places across the globe, working on remote islands and coastlines of Australia, Indonesia and Africa. She recently completed a PhD at the University of Western Australia, which focussed on the ecology and conservation of reef manta rays in southern Mozambique.
She believes that people are the key to successful conservation and ensures that her work includes an element of outreach and education for local communities whose livelihoods depend on the marine environment. This includes teaching marine education to children and running workshops to inspire young scientists to become passionate investigators and guardians of local marine ecosystems.