Biography

Denisse is an Ecuadorian-Australian marine biologist who has worked in a variety of coastal systems in South America and Australia. She completed a Bachelor of Science (Marine Science and Zoology) in 2016 and a Master of Studies (Marine Biology and GIS) in 2018 at The University of Western Australia. Denisse is passionate about the conservation of the marine environment and how changes to the environment are impacting ocean ecosystems, which led her to become involved in outreach campaigns directed at both adults and children to promote the importance of the ocean and its protection. Denisse is also an avid programmer and through her involvement with R-Ladies (international organisation promoting gender diversity in the R community) and the Ecuadorian Society for Statistics (organisation that promotes the study and application of statistics nationwide), she has organised and/or delivered a number of free workshops aimed at making programming and statistics more accessible to the general public. Denisse is currently completing a PhD at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies through which she aims to understand how changes in sea ice and ocean dynamics at a fine-scale likely impact marine ecosystems and key species (e.g., krill, penguins, seals, whales) in the Southern Ocean.