My name is Stephan Bruns, and I was born and raised in Germany. From a young age, I was captivated by marine life, a passion ignited by my father’s interest in saltwater aquariums and marine biology. After completing my undergraduate degree in Biology, I pursued the ERASMUS Mundus Master in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, a program that allowed me to live and study in various countries across Europe.  During my Master’s, I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Dr. Aaron Henderson, a former lecturer at the CMRS center in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Under his supervision, I conducted research on sharks and rays, investigating their relative abundance and diversity around South Caicos using baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS). After earning my Master’s degree, I moved to South Caicos and worked as a waterfront assistant, where I was deeply involved in shark research and various waterfront activities.  Subsequently, I pursued a Ph.D. in the spatial ecology and biology of elasmobranchs at the United Arab University in the United Arab Emirates. There, I employed a diverse array of techniques to investigate species demographics, habitat use, and movement patterns. My research methods included Stereo-BRUVS, acoustic tracking, and satellite telemetry.