ThePalauInternationalCoralReefCenter(PICRC)ispleasedtowelcomeJueAlefAvanzadoLalasasthenewCoralFuturesSupervisorforthe Coral FuturesAcademy.TheCoralFutures Academy isa regional initiative carriedout in collaboration betweenPICRC,TheNatureConservancy(TNC),StanfordUniversity,theMarshallIslandsConservationSociety(MICS),andtheConservationSocietyofPohnpei(CSP).Theprojectaimstoscaleuptheidentification,protection,andlocalmanagementofclimate-resilientcoralreefsacrossMicronesiaanddevelopthefirstCoralFuturesAcademyandCoralRestorationTeamsstructureintheMarshallIslands,FederatedStatesofMicronesiaand Palau.OriginallyfromthePhilippines,Juebringsastrongbackgroundinmarinescience,withexpertiseincoralreefecologyandexperienceinrelatedfieldssuchasfisheries,marineprotectedareas,resourcemanagement,andbiodiversity.From2015to2021,heservedasaresearcherattheMarineScienceInstituteoftheUniversityofthePhilippines.HelaterbecamealectureratXavierUniversity–AteneodeCagayan,beforepursuinghisPhDinMarineandEnvironmentalSciencesattheUniversityoftheRyukyusinOkinawa,Japan.Whilecompletinghisdoctoralstudies,Juealsoworkedasaresearchassistantintheuniversity’sMolecularInvertebrateSystematicsandEcologyLab.Duringhispreviousworkassignments,Juehasgainedextensiveexposureworkingwithdiversegroups,includingthescientificcommunity,localcommunitiesacrossvariousregions,governmentagencies,andnonprofitorganizations,toadvancecoralreefmanagement through moreholisticapproaches.SincejoiningPICRCinFebruary2025,JuehasplayedakeyroleincoordinatingtheCoralFuturesAcademy.HeoverseeseffortsacrossMicronesia,collaboratingwithlocalteamleadersfromthedifferentjurisdictionsandscientistsfromStanfordUniversitytoidentifyheat-tolerantcoralspecies,coordinatefieldwork, andensurestrongcollaborationacrossprojectsites, effortsthat are criticalin thefaceof risingsea…
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