Matthew Clements is PhD student working closely with Professor Maria Byrne in her Marine and Developmental Biology lab at the University of Sydney. He is interested in the ecology of crown-of-thorns starfish throughout their entire life history; from larvae to adult. Echinoderms have had centre stage in his research career to date spanning topics of asexual reproduction, salinity tolerance of the larvae, juvenile-adult interactive behaviour and field based adult population demography and ecology. One Tree Island Research Station, the University’s facility on the Great Barrier Reef, provides a stunning coral reef system to delve into a marine biology career and an exciting place to continue exploring important topics in echinoderm biology.