Dr Holly East

My research interests are focused on the interface between geomorphology and ecology in tropical coastal environments, particularly within seagrass and reef island systems. 

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• A Caribbean bright spot coral reef exceeds thermal limits during the fourth global coral bleaching event, Carolan, S., Baldock, K., East, H., Fitzsimmons, C., Johnson, J., Suggitt, A., Guest, J. 6 Oct 2026, In: Frontiers in Marine Science
• Can Recent Seagrass Expansion in an Atoll Environment Help to Mitigate Climate Change?, Keskitalo, K., Helber, S., Floyd, M., Mushtag, A., Unsworth, R., Chillingworth, B., Mann, P., Vaughn, D., Sanderson, N., Zuhair, A., Areesh, A., East, H. 22 Feb 2026, The Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) 2026
• Community structure and functional diversity of seagrass fish assemblages in an oceanic atoll system, Floyd, M., East, H., Carruthers, L., Hashim, A., Johnson, J., Moosa, H., Unsworth, R., Musthag, A., Hameez, H., Suggitt, A. 24 Jul 2026, In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
• Evaluating methods for high resolution, national-scale seagrass mapping in Google Earth Engine, Floyd, M., East, H., Suggitt, A. 1 Apr 2026, In: Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation
• Effective Evaluation and Unintended Consequences of STEM Interventions: A Case Study from North East England, Emembolu, I., Davenport, C., Padwick, A., East, H., Shimwell, J., Strachan, R. 22 Apr 2025, 2025 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), Piscataway, US, IEEE
• Evaluating the role of moonlight-darkness dynamics as proximate spawning cues in an Acropora coral, de la Torre Cerro, R., Beauchamp, E., Buzzoni, D., Craggs, J., East, H., Edwards, A., Golbuu, Y., Humanes, A., Lachs, L., Martínez, H., Mill, A., van der Steeg, E., Ward, A., Guest, J. 1 Apr 2025, In: Coral Reefs
• Author Correction: Emergent increase in coral thermal tolerance reduces mass bleaching under climate change (Nature Communications, (2023), 14, 1, (4939), 10.1038/s41467-023-40601-6), Lachs, L., Donner, S., Mumby, P., Bythell, J., Humanes, A., East, H., Guest, J. 4 Jan 2024, In: Nature Communications
• Evaluating UAV‐based multispectral imagery for mapping an intertidal seagrass environment, Elma, E., Gaulton, R., Chudley, T., Scott, C., East, H., Westoby, H., Fitzsimmons, C. Aug 2024, In: Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
• High coral heat tolerance at local-scale thermal refugia, Lachs, L., Humanes, A., Mumby, P., Donner, S., Bythell, J., Beauchamp, E., Bukurou, L., Buzzoni, D., de la Torre Cerro, R., East, H., Edwards, A., Golbuu, Y., Martinez, H., van der Steeg, E., Ward, A., Guest, J., Xu, L. 11 Jul 2024, In: PLOS Climate
• Natural selection could determine whether Acropora corals persist under expected climate change, Lachs, L., Bozec, Y., Bythell, J., Donner, S., East, H., Edwards, A., Golbuu, Y., Gouezo, M., Guest, J., Humanes, A., Riginos, C., Mumby, P. 13 Dec 2024, In: Science

• Emily Husband The formation and evolution of Caribbean coral reef islands Start Date: 16/08/2024 End Date: 28/02/2025
• Sophie Carolan Understanding the Dynamics and Resilience of Marginal Coral Reef Ecosystems in the Central Caribbean Start Date: 18/07/2024 End Date: 27/02/2025

• Geography PhD January 09 2018
• Environmental Science and other Physical Science MPhil June 30 2012
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy FHEA

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Google Scholar