2026 Sea Secrets Lecture Series with Gabriel Reygondeau, Ph.D.

Unveiling the Ocean’s Hidden Hotspots: Mapping Marine Biodiversity in a Changing World

Program at 5:30 p.m.; Reception following the program

Gabriel Reygondeau, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School, and core faculty member, Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing

Marine biodiversity research has evolved from field observations to powerful global modeling frameworks that reveal the ocean’s hidden patterns of life. In this talk, Gabriel Reygondeau will trace that evolution—from the creation of FishBase, which revolutionized ecological synthesis, to the development of AquaMaps 2.0, a next-generation platform integrating machine learning, high-resolution environmental data, and ensemble forecasting. Capable of projecting the distributions of more than 30,000 marine species, AquaMaps 2.0 generates detailed global maps of species richness, rarity, and phylogenetic diversity, providing new insights into biogeographic patterns, conservation priorities, and how climate change is reshaping biodiversity across our planet’s oceans.

About the Speaker
Gabriel Reygondeau is a marine ecologist and oceanographer and assistant professor at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School. His research explores global marine biodiversity, climate-driven shifts in species distributions, and the development of large-scale ecological niche models. He leads the AquaX initiative (AquaMaps 2.0) under the FishBase Consortium, integrating machine learning and environmental data to model more than 30,000 species worldwide. Reygondeau contributes to global science-policy efforts including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPBES, the Nereus Program, and the Half-Earth Project, linking biodiversity science with conservation action.