Joleah Lamb, PhD

Dr. Lamb is currently a NatureNet Fellow at Cornell University with The Nature Conservancy and holds a PhD in Tropical Marine Ecology and Fisheries Biology from James Cook University in Australia. As a marine disease ecologist, her current research focuses on identifying and assessing natural buffers for mitigating infectious diseases that threaten coral reefs and human livelihoods in developing coastal regions. To do this she employs a variety of field-based sampling methods, remote sensing tools and microbial sequencing techniques.

Dr. Lamb’s previous research revealed the impacts of marine-based industries on the development of diseases that devastate reef-building corals – including dredging for coastal development and natural resource extraction, mass tourism, and fishing. She also examined whether existing coral reef management strategies are effective for mitigating marine diseases, such as the use of marine protected areas. Her research on the Great Barrier Reef lead to the first study to demonstrate that marine protected areas are effective for mitigating coral disease outbreaks by directly displacing human activities.

Aligning with the many goals of the CCRES project, Dr. Lamb is ultimately interested in promoting the conservation of ecosystem health by valuing the economic benefits of services provided by nature and offering practical solutions for managing the balance between development and the maintenance of natural areas. She has extensive experience working on coral reefs in Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines.