Navya Mittal

Navya Mittal grew up in Mumbai, India, and didn’t plan on building her life around the ocean. She’s now a junior at Wesleyan University, double majoring in biology and environmental studies, and a certified Rescue Diver. During a semester abroad in Australia, she worked as a research dive assistant at Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef and conducted a study on the predatory ecology of reef mesopredators. Her previous dive experience includes transect surveys, coral restoration & transplantation and establishing artificial reef structures.  She is also experimenting with underwater photography.

Navya is especially interested in how science gets communicated. She is passionate about making complex and important marine research more accessible through storytelling, art, and media. Navya hopes to pursue a PhD in marine conservation research focused on real world impact, hopefully with a lot of fieldwork! She’s excited to be part of the OWUSS Marine Conservation Internship at REEF, where she’s looking forward to conducting survey dives, developing educational programs, and sharing her love for the ocean with visitors.