Piers Baillie
Founder.
Piers is a qualified marine biologist from the University of Plymouth (UK). He has established a number of research, monitoring and marine conservation programs in the Gulf of Thailand, working closely with the Thai Department of Marine & Coastal Resources, as well as international post-doctorate researchers, schools and universities.
Having gained significant experience working in the tropics, Piers has developed a marine ecology and conservation program that is taught to students of all ages from around the world. He has also developed unique internships that provide a platform for individuals to engage in active marine conservation projects, giving them the knowledge, skills and opportunity to gain experience working in the underwater world.
Piers is a published author, and his textbook 'An Introduction to Corals and The Reefs They Form' is available in paperback from Amazon. He has a keen interest in educating our next generation, and has designed a program of workshops, lectures, tutorials and interactive sessions which are adapted to suit students between Reception and Year 13.
As an award winning, and featured underwater photographer, Piers is able to bring personal experiences and real-life examples into both his teaching and training programs, offering a unique insight into the field of marine conservation.
To visit Piers' photography portfolio, click here
Gavin Miller
Director of Science, Researcher.
Gavin completed his MSc masters degree in Marine Environmental Management from the University of Exeter, where he researched whether evocative images of charismatic marine wildlife could increase individual awareness, concern, and behaviour towards plastic pollution. Having also completed a degree in Psychology, Gavin aims to combine both biological and social aspects as he pursues his career in marine conservation. His research interests also include furthering our ecological understanding of key reef-associated indicator species, as well as the development of effective local management strategies. Gavin is a published researcher having authored and co-authored several papers, with a particular interest on the relative impacts of corallivory to reefs within the Gulf of Thailand.
Getsamol Chaona (Pooka)
Project Manager, Field Technician, Department of Marine & Coastal Resources (DMCR) associate.
Pooka has gained significant experience working in the field of reef restoration, often representing the Department of Marine & Coastal Resources (DMCR). She has helped to develop training programs for the DMCR, and has been instrumental in the establishment of an island-wide restoration project in Koh Tao, Thailand. Pooka fulfills an invaluable role in many of Global Reef's active research and conservation projects, and is key to the communication of the organisation's work in Thailand.
Scarlett Taylor
Program Director, Researcher.
Scarlett Taylor is a marine biologist with an MSc in Biology from Dalhousie University, where she studied the population dynamics of Cetorhinus maximus in Atlantic Canada. Her work focuses on the ecology and conservation of elasmobranch and teleost communities, with a strong emphasis on quantitative approaches to understanding marine populations and ecosystem dynamics.
She has worked globally across both field and analytical projects, including acoustic tagging of blue sharks in the Northwest Atlantic and manta ray telemetry and reef surveys in Mozambique with Marine Action Research (MAR) Expeditions and Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF). She also contributes to mobulid research and scientific publications with the Manta Trust, and collaborates with Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources on the Maya Bay Blacktip Reef Shark Project, applying video-based monitoring and analytical methods to assess shark abundance and support the protection of critical nursery habitats.
Scarlett is currently Scientific Program Director at Global Reef in Thailand, where she leads the delivery of research programs across the Gulf of Thailand. She oversees project design, field operations, and scientific outputs in collaboration with the Scientific Director, while managing the Global Reef internship program and serving as lead instructor for training in marine ecology, survey methods, and data analysis. Her work combines intensive field-based monitoring with quantitative ecological modelling, using Bayesian and hierarchical approaches to generate robust, management-relevant insights into reef ecosystem structure and function.
Stephanie Topal
Scientific Diving Officer, Researcher.
Stephanie is a marine scientist and professional dive instructor with a Master of Professional Science in Marine Conservation and a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Miami. Her graduate research focused on long term, multispecies reef fish population trends in South Florida’s national parks, contributing to coral reef monitoring and fisheries-independent survey efforts in collaboration with the U.S. National Park Service. She went on to spend four years living and working aboard 30-meter sail training vessels, leading expedition style study abroad programs that combined offshore sailing, dive training, and marine science education across remote locations worldwide. While circumnavigating the globe, she taught marine biology and oceanography, guided students through introductory field techniques, and oversaw diving and safety at sea, fostering technical competence and a lasting appreciation for the marine environment. Her professional interests include coral reef ecology, reef fish population dynamics, and the conservation of large pelagic species and their marine environments.
She currently serves as a Researcher and Scientific Dive Officer with Global Reef, where she contributes to a diverse portfolio of marine research and conservation initiatives throughout the Gulf of Thailand.