Alexandra V. Didoha
From Microcosm Aquarium Explorer
Alexandra (Zan) Didoha is a marine biologist who has traveled and lived in developing coastal communities throughout the world. Native to Northern Virginia she left the rolling hills to pursue a bachelor’s degree in marine biology at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.
After completing her degree she joined the Peace Corps and served as an environmental coastal volunteer in the Philippines for two and half years. While in the Peace Corps she worked with local aquarium-livestock collectors and tribal fisherman on the development and education of better management practices for ornamental fish collection. She instructed and trained hundreds of fisherman on coral reef monitoring and developed them into “local marine biologists.”
After the Peace Corps, she completed a master’s degree in Marine Affairs and Policy at the University of Miami, RSMAS. At RSMAS she developed passion for marine aquaculture while researching the effects of probiotics in the aquaculture of cobia. Later, her passion for aquaculture developed further into the culture of marine ornamentals at Florida Institute of Technology.
She is currently pursuing a Ph.D in marine biology at the Florida Tech. Her research is centered in the Philippines and focuses on the effectiveness and sustainability of marine protected areas for coral reef fish.
She contributes articles and images to Microcosm Aquarium Explorer:
An Insider's Philippine Adventure
State of the Reefs: Philippines I