Rima is a scientist and conservationist with a passion for all things marine. Having lived by the sea her whole life, she has always been fascinated with nature and the environment and wanted to study and protect animals even as a child. She has spent over 20 years developing and working on conservation initiatives around the world and has experience as a field research scientist, director for non-profit organisations, and government official. Rima has travelled extensively and assisted in research undertaken on sharks, rays, dolphins, turtles, coral reefs, and seagrass beds. She has authored/co-authored over 45 scientific, technical, and popular publications, lectured at schools and universities, and appeared in radio and television productions. Her work on sharks and rays has been featured in various local and international media outlets including National Geographic, BBC, and Scientific American. She has published a book on marine ecosystems in the UAE, an identification guide for sharks in the Arabian Seas Region, an IUCN report on the conservation status of sharks, rays, and chimaeras in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waters, and an identification guide to wedgefishes and giant guitarfishes. She is also the Chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, a member of the IUCN Marine Conservation Committee, sits on the Advisory Committee for the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Sharks MoU as a representative of the Asia region, and is the CMS Appointed Scientific Councilor for Fish. She has received various grants and awards in support and recognition of her work on sharks and rays in the UAE and broader northwestern Indian Ocean as well as a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation.