Dr. Zoe Trisha Richards is an Associate Professor at the School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Curtin University. She completed her PhD studies in Marine Biology at James Cook University. She is a taxonomist whose research revolves around coral biodiversity and how best to monitor and protect it. She is the leader of the Coral Conservation and Research Group (CORE) within the Trace and Environmental DNA Laboratory (TrAcE). Her research areas include Animal Systematics and Taxonomy, Conservation and Biodiversity, Population, Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics, and Speciation and Extinction. Her skills and expertise include Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Marine Ecology, Species Diversity, and Ecology.