I am Rick Verkooijen, a Dutch PhD student at deakin university, who is passionate about marine ecology, reproductive biology and restorative aquaculture. I have primarily worked on the culture of sea urchins, aiming to either release underabundant sea urchins on coral reefs or remove overabundant sea urchins in temperate reefs. In my spare time I love to surf, snorkel and dive and spending time in the ocean have been my main hobby since I was a little kid.