From a young age, Olivia always knew she wanted to pursue a career in marine biology. Growing up near the Jersey Shore, she often went fishing where she caught striped bass and dogfish, inspiring her love for the ocean. This passion encouraged her to pursue her undergraduate degree in marine science at Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, Florida. During her undergrad she gained her first hands on experience working at Stingray Bay, Jacksonville Zoo as an intern. Here she performed husbandry tasks and water quality measurements. She also volunteered at Mickler’s Beach Sea Turtle Patrol, where she identified and evaluated sea turtle nests. Her passion for marine biology continued to grow through these experiences, ultimately leading to her decision to pursue her master’s degree in marine biology at James Cook University.

While being at JCU, Olivia has continued her work in both the turtle and stingray fields. She is a team leader at the JCU Sea Turtle Hospital, has participated in ‘turtle rodeos’ to collect data on green turtle population health, researched flatback turtle inter-nesting behaviour on the east coast of Australia, and volunteered at Mon Repos Research Centre evaluating nesting loggerhead turtles. On the stingray side, Olivia is an author in the IUCN Shark News #12 article, discussing the record-breaking giant freshwater whipray, now the largest fish in the world, found in the Mekong River. Olivia is also part of the team identifying the spatial risk of marine megafauna to fish maw fisheries. Olivia’s current master’s research within the lab is assessing the relative vulnerabilities of the Mekong River’s threatened megafauna to environmental and fisheries threats.