The world has lost 30-50% of its corals already. With increasing water temperature, bleaching events, and pollution accelerating the loss, restoration efforts struggle to keep pace. Innovating more resilient restoration approaches is the urgent focus of this team.
Innovative Direction
The Coral Team works closely with leading restoration partners including Coral Arks, Reef Revival, Coral Restoration Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy. Through these collaborations, students support applied coral conservation by developing GIS mapping products, biodiversity assessments, and spatial analyses that inform restoration planning and monitoring. The team additionally contributes to emerging business and biodiversity credit frameworks, helping partners explore scalable financing mechanisms that align reef restoration with conservation outcomes.
Our Team
Faculty Advisor
Faculty Advisor
2nd Year Team Lead
1st Year Team Lead
Our Partnerships
Current Projects
- Process and analyze video footage of fish populations in restoration sites in the Galapagos, Ecuador
- GIS mapping projects for restoration sites in the Galapagos, Ecuador
- GIS mapping project in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy mapping coral overtime in the Caribbean
- Conduct a baseline coral survey in Beaufort, North Carolina
- Working with Ty Roach and Coral Arks to assist in business and market research
- Planning and running a spring break coral restoration trip to Miami to collaborate with The Coral Restoration Foundation to get experience in the field (coral nursery and restoration work)
- Plan workshops and presentations with experts in the coral restoration field to facilitate knowledge sharing and career mentorship
- Participate and help organize and duke RESTORE panel for Duke Ocean week
Past Projects
- Created scientific illustrations for merchandise for the Annual Acropora Festival in Cozumel, Mexico, hosted by Corales Vivos
- Create social media and educational content for reef restoration in the Galapagos
- Conduct market research and create social media content for a bioenzymatic cement startup aimed at reef restoration projects
- Spring field course on coral survey and restoration techniques for Duke undergraduate students at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina
- Maintain a temperate water coral tree nursery in Beaufort, NC for student education
(Art by Rebecca Cox)
News and Current Events
Check out this recap of the 2026 Coral Spring Break trip!
Duke Restore Coral Team pilots the first-ever survey of corals in Pivers Island! (April 2025)
Coral Team takes a hands-on photogrammetry workshop to create their own 3D coral models (April 2025)
Team of Duke Students begins video analysis in collaboration with Reef Revival in the Galapagos (February 2025)
Duke Restore Students Attend Reef Futures (December 2024)
This December, two members of Duke Restore’s Coral Team, Nicolás Dávalos and Elizabeth Kroger, had the opportunity to attend the Reef Futures conference in Quintana Roo, México, with the support of Duke Restore. Reef Futures is an annual gathering dedicated to coral research and conservation, and this year brought together over 800 coral scientists and conservation practitioners. Nicolás and Elizabeth had the chance to connect with coral restoration practitioners, scientists, and government officials, to bring new knowledge and collaborations to Duke Restore, as well as learn about new and upcoming techniques to use in their careers.
Updates on Duke Restore’s Coral Tree in Beaufort, NC (February 2024)
