Meet Dr Valerie Chamberland

Dr. Valerie Chamberland is a coral reef ecologist and research scientist at SECORE International, an organization dedicated to restoration and protection of coral reefs. Valerie’s research interests are broad. They range from natural history studies documenting the reproductive biology and early life ecology of coral, to manipulative experiments investigating the effects of anthropogenic disturbances like overfishing and coastal pollution on the health of young corals.

For over seven years, Valerie has been conducting research to improve understanding of the environmental processes affecting larval recruitment in Caribbean corals. Her work is focused on identifying the conditions under which recruitment will be successful. Part of the research aims at identifying coral populations that produce offspring better capable of coping with stressful conditions on modern-day reefs, whether it is through maternal effects or longer-terms mechanism such as adaptation.

The findings of her studies are being used to optimize and upscale restoration efforts designed to increase larval recruitment in threatened coral communities.