Alana Alexander

I’ve wanted to be a marine biologist since I was nine years old. I loved the beach, rock pools and fishing, and saw myself out on a boat, diving and doing research… except it turns out when I actually went out on a boat to do science, I got mate moana (sea sick!). Instead, I’ve turned to studying marine critters using genomics, and one of the coolest things has been how much DNA and evolution ties into concepts of whakapapa and the interconnectedness between us and our whanaunga (relatives) who live in the ocean.

Nicola Wilhelmsen