His team was also the first in the world to spawn corals ex situ, opening the way for reef restorers to spawn corals in their own back yard. The Coral Spawning Lab, which Michael launched with two friends, now manufactures and distributes state-of-the-art coral spawning units on a global scale and hopes to foster a circular economy, where restoration ultimately pays for itself. He credits his amazing team. “We tackle the issue of climate change, pollution, over exploitation head on – we educate, we work on a political level, we conduct blue sky research and we do all this because our planet needs us to do it,” he says. “Everyone needs to be a champion, everyone needs to stand up and do their bit, however small you think it is, it will make a difference.” Follow him on Google Scholar and on Twitter.