Sandra Riemer

Guest Lecturer

Sandra is a marine biologist and zoologist with over 20 years of experience in threatened species monitoring and conservation programs. She has always had a strong love for the ocean and all things tropical and began her career as a marine biologist in far north Queensland working on the outer ribbon reefs. Here, she participated extensively in crown-of-thorns eradication and coral health surveys. Since that time, Sandra has worked as a zoologist for the Northern Territory government focusing on small mammal ecology, translocations, health and disease.

In Queensland, she has filled a variety of positions for the Department of Environment and Science, focused on threatened species management in both the terrestrial and marine park divisions, highlighted by work with humpback whales, inshore dolphins, dugongs and marine turtles in the Great Sandy Marine Park.

Not always working in tropical climates though, Sandra has also been involved with little penguin and shearwater monitoring on the islands off Tasmania in conjunction with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Sandra is also a qualified teacher and has spent many years teaching science and marine studies in schools ranging from the Kimberley region of WA, to Katherine in the NT and down to the Whitsundays in Queensland.

Today, her interests lie with marine mammals, especially inshore dolphins and other smaller toothed whales, along with wildlife health and disease after studying with the Wildlife Conservation Medicine program at Murdoch University.

Sandra loves nothing more than exploring remote regions and landscapes and spending as much time as possible above and below the water. She holds a Bachelor of Science with majors in Marine Biology and Zoology, a Bachelor of Education and a Masters in Environmental Management.