Rachel Downey is a marine biologist whose work spans taxonomy, ecology, and data science, with a focus on understanding and conserving marine biodiversity in polar and deep-sea environments. Based at the Australian National University’s Fenner School of Environment & Society, Rachel’s research examines how the structure and quality of marine biodiversity data shapes our understanding of ocean life and impacts stakeholder use.

Over her career, she has contributed to major international projects documenting benthic diversity, deep-sea ecosystems, and polar marine habitats. Rachel has played a leading role in improving marine biodiversity data, and developing research connections in taxonomy, as an editor and chair for WoRMS (World Register of Marine Species), and in deep and polar regions through being a chair for both Challenger 150 (global cooperative of deep-sea biology) and APECS (Association for Polar Early Career Scientists).