When I tell people about having the joy of working on marine related issues, they ask if I'm a marine biologist. Which I'm not. I work on marine innovation and I work on policy and then I often get a very blank stare and I get it, on paper that does not sound sexy. But really it's the most amazing thing ever. In my research I look outward to the ocean but I also look inwards. That's actually one of my favorite parts because I get to look into countries and islands and coastal regions trying to understand what makes these regions special and how they can use existing research to their advantage?