João Grave

Hi! 

I'm an adventurous, friendly, and focused guy from Portugal. I'm also a Marine Ecology master student at the University of Lisbon.  I'm especially interested in hard corals, reef biodiversity, reef restoration, and trying to improve coral resilience against climate change and other pressures. In light of a global warming scenario where coral reef ecosystems are being wiped out at alarming rates around the world, in my master's thesis, I'll study the role of cleaner gobies in coral reef health, through influencing the abundance and behaviour of herbivore fish that graze on macroalgae that compete with corals.  For this, I'll have the opportunity to travel to the crystal blue waters of Curaçao with the BEE Group, for which I can't wait.  

Since I was a little kid, I've always had a passion for the ocean. I became a competition swimmer, a surfer, a lifeguard and a scuba diver. Years later, my dream is to make a difference for the ocean's coral reefs. Meanwhile, I'll continue catching waves, travelling, riding my motorcycle, having a beer (or 2) with friends in the sun, and eating tons of cheese, because that is what I love to do.

João's work is supported through a fellowship within  the project "ATLANTICDIVERSA – Use emergent technologies to understand the role of cleaning mutualisms in Atlantic biodiversity conservation" Ref. 2024/0028 funded by FLAD - Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento