Adriana Verges

Background

About Adriana Verges

Adriana Vergés is a Professor in marine ecology at UNSW Sydney and the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (Australia). Her research focuses on climate change impacts and integrates rigorous science with novel ways of regenerating marine ecosystems. Her work is well known for involving the public hands-on in marine restoration and for collaborating with public artists in innovative participatory art-meets-science exhibitions and festivals to raise awareness about marine ecosystems. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters. She is a Director of the Kelp Forest Alliance and a co-founder of Operation Crayweed and Operation Posidonia, two projects that have been restoring missing seaweed forests and seagrass meadows over the last ten years in Sydney and New South Wales (Australia). Operation Crayweed was awarded a Green Globe Award in 2017. Adriana received the UNSW Emerging Thought Leader Prize in 2019, the WILD Innovator Award in 2021 and a WINGS Women of Discovery Award in 2024. Adriana loves science communication and story-telling in all its forms. She has a film-making partner with whom she has collaborated in various documentaries and they have two children who so far seem to be a lot more interested in basketball than the environment.