Dr. Reaka’s research focuses on the patterns and processes that govern biodiversity, endemism, and extinction on global coral reefs, with applications to conservation and management of marine environments. Her recent work includes the biodiversity, biogeography, and phylogeny of mantis shrimps in the Gulf of Mexico and the Indo-West Pacific; global “hot spots” on coral reefs that merit priority international conservation attention; and the biodiversity, endemism, and vulnerability of deep “meso-photic” coral reefs. She has been a Post-Doctoral Fellow and Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has led and participated in numerous international scientific initiatives on marine and coral reef biodiversity. She was invited to participate in Japan’s deep sea submersible program on the Shinkai 2000 and was part of the invited international team who surveyed the post-war ecological impacts of the oil spills and smoke clouds throughout the Persian Gulf.