Our first online CCT Members’ Talk speaker is Dr Sam Purkis, the founding Chair of CCT-US and current Professor and Chair of the University of Miami’s Marine Geosciences Department, who will give his talk ‘Scaling coral reef conservation – Biodiversity assessment from orbit’ on 19 February 2025 at 7pm GMT (2pm EST).

Dr Purkis’s passion for the underwater world was ignited at a young age by Jacques Cousteau’s iconic book and film ‘The Silent World’. This early inspiration led him to become a certified scuba diver, and eventually a diving instructor, living in a tent along the southern Egyptian Red Sea from 1992-1993. Coral reefs have since remained a cornerstone of his research endeavors 

In 1994, he pursued his academic aspirations in marine biology at the University of Southampton in England. His journey then took him to the Netherlands, where he earned both an M.Sc. and Ph.D., graduating in 2004. Following his studies, he crossed the Atlantic to join the National Coral Reef Institute as a postdoctoral scientist, where he rose to the rank of faculty 

In 2016, Dr Purkis joined the University of Miami as a Professor, and a year later, he was appointed Chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences. He continues to explore his diverse research interests, developed over more than two decades, while maintaining an active teaching schedule.

He was the founding Chair of the American arm of the Chagos Conservation Trust, known as CCT-US, a position he held for 10 years, and is currently a Chief Scientist for the Living Oceans Foundation, and for the recently launched conservation organisation ODISEA.

Dr Purkis has authored three books and over 150 scholarly papers, several of which focus on the ecology and geology of the Chagos Archipelago. His current research is centered on upscaling reef biodiversity assessments using new satellite technologies.

Although the first talk is open to all, spaces are limited, so RSVP via the email intern@chagos-trust.org asap to secure your spot!