Jerrica Agebigo holds a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Resources with Distinction from the Papua New Guinea University of Natural Resources and Environment (PNGUNRE). She brings experience in academic tutoring and research, having contributed to projects at the New Guinea Binatang Research Centre over the past year. She is currently a research student at the Centre under the EU-FCCB Scholarship Programme, with a focus on freshwater ecology, particularly fish and macroinvertebrate communities.

Her academic training spans environmental science, freshwater and marine ecology, and research methods, underpinned by a strong commitment to biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management.

Jerrica’s current research, “Environmental DNA Metabarcoding for Assessing Fish and Crustacean Communities Along the Fly River Gradient as Indicators of River Health,” investigates the application of environmental DNA (eDNA) to monitor aquatic biodiversity in Papua New Guinea. This innovative methodology enables efficient species detection and ecosystem health assessment, particularly in remote environments such as the Fly River. Her work advances environmental monitoring through modern scientific approaches that inform the sustainable management of Papua New Guinea’s natural resources.