Philippa Mansell, the expedition’s research officer, works to establish networks between coral reef researchers, industry, and educational organizations. She also directs an Indonesian nongovernmental organization that manages scientific expeditions at a research facility in the Wakatobi Marine National Park. She has served as CoralWatch project manager at the University of Queensland and been a research officer at Lizard Island Research Station in the Great Barrier Reef. She is a PADI Divemaster, has attended 20 diving-based expeditions, seven of which she has led, and has logged more than 1,000 scientific dives. Her research interests include coral reef ecology and conservation.