Dr. Stephanie Wear is a marine ecologist, conservation strategy advisor, and global spokesperson at The Nature Conservancy, the world’s leading conservation organization. Stephanie is also a visiting scientist at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and the Duke University Marine Lab. Throughout her career, Dr. Wear has focused on researching and developing new strategies to reduce threats to coral reefs and ocean ecosystems, paying special attention to how the fates of reefs and people are intertwined.

Dr. Wear’s latest work with the Conservancy has led to a variety of published papers and studies that examine the often-unrecognized role that sanitation plays in conservation on both human and ocean health around the globe. While sewage may not be the most pleasant conversation topic, it affects the lives of billions of people around the globe. Stephanie approaches it as she does any research area: using rigorous science to connect to other scientists, donors and the media.

She received her BA in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia and her MS and PhD in Marine Sciences from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She recently joined the Board of the Aquarium of the Pacific.