Emily Lester

Dr. Emily Lester is a Research Fellow and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Sydney's School of Geosciences, where she is a member of the Thriving Oceans Research Hub. She completed her PhD at the University of Western Australia in 2021 and previously served as a Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology.

Her research examines how human activities impact marine ecological processes, with emphasis on coral reef ecosystems. She specializes in:

• Assessing predator loss impacts on reef function
• Quantifying resilience thresholds using field and remote sensing methods
• Developing conservation strategies through exploitation gradient analysis

Dr. Lester's scientific contributions have been recognized with the Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholarship. Her current work focuses on translating ecological research into actionable conservation frameworks through the Thriving Oceans Research Hub.