Abstract:
Why is the Red Sea so special, and what makes it such a compelling place to do science? In this seminar, Prof. Berumen will explore the Red Sea as a unique natural laboratory for studying biodiversity, connectivity, and ecosystem change. He will highlight how KAUST’s location, facilities, and interdisciplinary environment create unusual opportunities to tackle important marine questions, from discovering species and tracing where young fishes come from (including some of the real science behind “Finding Nemo”) to studying ecosystems undergoing rapid transformation and coastal development.

Bio: 
Michael Berumen is Professor of Marine Science at KAUST and a founding member of the University’s marine science program. His research focuses on biodiversity, movement ecology, and connectivity, with a particular emphasis on coral reef fishes and Red Sea ecology. He first visited the Red Sea in 2008 and has been based at KAUST since 2009, while maintaining research collaborations across the region and beyond. He studied Zoology as an undergraduate at the University of Arkansas, earned his PhD from James Cook University in Australia, and was a postdoctoral researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution before joining KAUST.