Sean Barker began SCUBA diving at 17 and later became an instructor in Sydney and on the Great Barrier Reef, where he gained valuable sea experience. He pursued a degree in Marine Science, focusing on subjects like Coral Reef Ecology and Shark Ecology. His research on Grey Nurse Sharks led to the creation of the “Spot a Shark” initiative in 2009, involving citizen scientists in monitoring shark populations. Barker’s work has significantly contributed to understanding and protecting marine life

Peter Simpson is a founding member of Spot a Shark and has played a pivotal role in gathering large datasets of shark images for the project. Peter built a community of divers up and down the coast of Australia to coordinate shark surveys and gather photos for the project. Peter also organised shark rescue missions with the Sea Life Aquarium and has helped a number of sharks.

Jason Holmberg is the Executive Director of Wild Me, the nonprofit organization of software developers and machine learning experts behind the Wildbook project. Since its inception, he has been instrumental in advancing Wildbook to meet the needs of wildlife researchers and their study species. Jason’s journey into wildlife research began in 2002 when he encountered his first whale shark off Djibouti, inspiring him to modernize mark-recapture methods by using the sharks’ natural spot patterns for digital tagging.

The ‘Spot A Shark’ website, created by Made Agency under Richard Stenlake’s leadership, exemplifies how deep compassion can drive meaningful change. Motivated by a love for sharks and a commitment to their conservation, Richard and his team developed this platform as a passion project, dedicated to the cause rather than financial gain. Proudly donated to support shark conservation, ‘Spot A Shark’ highlights their commitment to raising awareness and public engagement, combining technical expertise with heartfelt advocacy for these vital marine creatures and their role in ocean ecosystems.

Sarah Han-de-Beaux is a dedicated shark researcher at Spot a Shark, where she plays a key role in advancing the organization’s mission to monitor and protect shark populations. As a committee member of the Underwater Research Group of NSW, she actively contributes to initiatives aimed at enhancing underwater research and conservation efforts. Sarah’s work is integral to both scientific research and community engagement in marine conservation.

Simon Pierce is a lead researcher and scientist supporting the project. Simon and his team of scientists from universities across the world are using the data collected by Spot a Shark to drive positive change for the species. Simon is also a SharkBook.ai lead administrator for not just grey nurse sharks, but whale sharks, leopard sharks and a number of other species.