Dr. Vassil N. Zlatarski was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1936. He holds a Ph.D. in Geology from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences of Sofia and a D.Sc. in Biology from Russian Academy of Sciences of Moscow. He Studied fossil and modern corals and reefs in Bulgaria, France, Cuba, Mozambique, Mexico, Panama, and USA. He worked as a University Professor in Mexico, USA and Cuba. The monograph "The Scleractinians of Cuba" written by Dr. Zlatarski and Nereida Martínez Estalella was published in Russian in 1980, French in 1982, and Spanish in 2018. Dr. Zlatarski is now retired and a self-employed scientist. Prof. John K. Reed was born in Middletown, Ohio in 1948, and is a recently retired Research Professor at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI), Florida Atlantic University, USA. John's research on discovery and conservation of mesophotic and deep-water reefs began 47 years ago when he started at HBOI. He has >100 publications and reports on worldwide research expeditions, deep-sea coral reef research, and biomedical research. John received his B.S. from the University of Miami and M.S., specializing in marine ecology, from Florida Atlantic University in 1975. Dr. Shirley A. Pomponi is a Research Professor at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute - Florida Atlantic University. She earned her Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. An ocean explorer and marine biotechnologist, her research focuses on marine sponges, and in particular, the development of sustainable methods for production of sponge-derived chemicals with human health applications. Her research group developed the first marine invertebrate (sponge) cell line in 2019. The has participated in or led dozens of research expeditions worldwide and has made more than 300 dives in the Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles. She has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications and is co-inventor on several patents. In June 2022, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for In Vitro Biology. Dr. Sandra Brooke was born just west of London. After completing her undergraduate and M.Sc degrees in England, she worked in mosquito control in the Cayman Islands, where she learned to dive and discovered marine biology. She then obtained an M.A in Marine Biology from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and a Ph.D (2002) from the Southampton Oceanography Center, UK. Her research focuses primarily on coral reefs in both shallow and deep waters, specifically understanding their distribution, abundance, and life histories, as well as how they are affected by anthropogenic impacts. Dr. Brooke has worked in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Norwegian Fjords, South Atlantic Bight, Gulf of Mexico, and Mid-Atlantic canyons, and her research uses submersibles, Remotely Operated Vehicles, benthic landers and in situ experimentation to enhance our understanding of deep-sea coral biology, ecology and vulnerability to disturbance. Stephanie Farrington graduated with her Master's in Marine Biology in 2008 from Nova Southeastern University, working under Dr. Charles Messing on the Biogeography of the Straits of Florida. After graduation she started her career working under John Reed at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University until John's retirement in 2022. At HBOI, she was a Research Biologist concentrating on deep-sea and mesophotic habitats around the SE US, Gulf of Mexico and Cuba. Stephanie is now a Fisheries Scientist III NOAA Contractor at the Panama City Fisheries Lab working on the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) program in the northern Gulf of Mexico. She is focused on coral reef restoration and exploration centeredaround the aftermath of the Deep-Water Horizon oil spill.
