Two Sea Around Us - Indian Ocean PhD candidates honoured with prestigious Robson & Robertson Award 2023

The 2023 Robson & Robertson awardees alongside benefactor Mr Jock Clough (centre), Oceans Institute Director Professor Christophe Gaudin and Deputy Director Associate Professor Nicki Mitchell at the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre (Photo credit: Vivienne White).

We are excited to announce that two Sea Around Us-Indian Ocean PhD candidates, Ms Vania Andreoli and Mr Nico Fassbender, have been awarded 2023 Robson & Robertson Awards.

The Robson & Robertson Awards, established in honour of Professor Alan Robson and Emeritus Professor Alistair Robertson, are generously sponsored by Mr Jock Clough, Chair of the Oceans Institute Advisory Committee, and the Jock Clough Marine Foundation (www.thejockcloughmarinefoundation.com). These prestigious awards empower and support early career researchers in diverse marine science fields, offering them valuable opportunities for travel, fieldwork, equipment access, and other resources to enhance their research journey.

Hosted by the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre on 31st August 2023, the annual Robson & Robertson Awards’ event distributed $116,000 in research support to ten promising marine science scholars from different fields, strengthening their doctoral research endeavours.

Vania, who also won the Award in 2022 to visit collaborators at Harvard University, will be using the 2023 Award to participate in the 2024 United Nations Ocean Decade conference in Spain. During the conference, she will share her research findings on fisheries subsidies and their role in amplifying disparities and nutrient inequities in seafood access.

Nico will utilize the 2023 Award to broaden his fieldwork to three additional study sites, using seabed BRUVS (Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems) associated with marine reserves in the Seychelles. His objective is to investigate whether sharks benefit from long-term protection and reef restoration efforts.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to both awardees for their outstanding achievements and express our sincere thanks to the Jock Clough Marine Foundation and the Ocean Institute for their invaluable support in advancing crucial marine research endeavours.

Posted by Shannon Barrie