Dr. Paul Sikkel is an Associate Professor of Marine Ecology at Arkansas State University, an Adjunct Professor of Marine Ecology at the University of the Virgin Islands and Silliman University, Philippines. Paul is also an Honorary Professor of Aquatic and Environmental Sciences at North-West University, South Africa.
Paul’s research focuses on the interaction between parasites and hosts in tropical marine systems including coral reefs, and how those interactions are influenced by environmental change. One of his renowned discoveries came in July 2012, when he identified a new coral reef crustacean, which he had named Gnathia marleyi, after one of his heroes, the now deceased Jamaican reggae artist Bob Marley.