Frouws, Ankje

Current activities

I am a PhD student at Edith Cowan University and work on the genetic diversity and resilience of two seagrass species in the Pilbara region and in the Ningaloo and the Shark Bay World Heritage sites of Western Australia. Part of my work focuses on the genetic diversity of the seagrass Amphibolis antarctica in Shark Bay along the extreme salinity gradient within the bay. Between 2002 and 2014 dense seagrass meadows in Shark Bay declined in spatial abundance from 72% to only 46%. Increasing our understanding of genetic diversity and connectivity of A. antarctica within Shark Bay will help improve future restauration efforts. 

Background

2016-2017 Research assistant at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland; working on:

• Macrobenthos in disturbed seagrass meadows in Kenya
• The impact of El Niño associated flooding in coastal Kenya in cooperation with scientists from Exeter University
• Providing field/technical support for a community driven mangrove carbon offset project in Kenya

Academic qualifications

• Bachelor Arts, major: Image and Writing. Gerrit Rietveld Art Academy, The Netherlands.
• Bachelor Beta Gamma, major: Biology. University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
• Erasmus Mundus Master: Marine Environment and Resources. University of the Basque Country, Spain.