Brittany Williams

I'm a marine biology PhD candidate playing music to baby oysters to help restore our lost oyster reefs. Our future oceans could be ones full of rhythms and melodies that are engineered to attract and restore organisms to degraded habitats.
I'm also fascinated by the deep sea and the ever-advancing technology that is taking us there. I'd love to use my knowledge on underwater acoustics to help discover it!

Just 200 years ago, native flat oysters (Ostrea angasi) covered over 1500 kilometres of South Australia's coastline, providing rich foundations for marine ecosystems. They're now functionally extinct, but what if we could revive them using music?

My research explores how 'highways of sound' could be used to guide baby oysters lost at sea away from silent patches in the ocean towards our restoration reefs. By building affordable, self-innovated underwater speakers that broadcast marine soundscapes (i.e. snapping shrimp snaps), we can revive our lost ecosystems. This 'snappy' and non-intrusive solution is timely, as Australia is currently working to restore its lost oyster reefs. This project would be the first to increase oyster recruitment to a reef restoration project, a significant advance in ecological restoration.