Growing up by the coast in Iceland where I spent much of my time exploring the nearby beaches in search for marine “treasures”, my interest in the ocean, and nature more generally, is very long-standing. Taking part in a reforestation project with my family as I grew older then sparked an interest in conservation, and I became determined to make a difference for nature in my future career. Gradually I realised that I wanted to do so through research aiming to address biodiversity loss in the ocean by developing solutions that deliver beneficial outcomes for both marine biodiversity and coastal communities.