Nora Von Xylander

Nora is a Biodiversity Specialist and Sustainability Scientist at Tunley whilst currently conducting a PhD, at the University of St. Andrews, on ‘understanding the role of lipids on coral bio-mineralization and the effects of future climate change’. To address her PhD research project, she has been conducting a wide range of experimental work, cultured coral under different temperatures, and has performed a fieldwork experiment at the CRIOBE research station in Moorea, French Polynesia. Overall, the aim of this research is to elucidate the effects of different lipid biomolecules on how corals build their CaCO3 skeletons and explore the resistance and resilience of coral to future climate change scenarios. Before working on this PhD project, Nora worked as a Project Leader for two Coral Restoration Projects run by the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (MCSS). On top of this, she graduated in 2017 with a BSc in Biochemistry from King’s College London, and with a MSc in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea) in 2019. All of which have allowed her to pursue her interest in understanding how coral reefs may withstand the drastic future predictions of our changing climate.