Lamia Omar

Omani marine biologist restoring coral reefs in the Arabian Sea

Lamia Omar (b. 1987) is a Sultanate of Oman's leading marine scientist who pioneered coral transplantation techniques in the Gulf of Oman. Her Oman Coral Initiative has revived 12km² of degraded reefs, creating habitats for endangered green sea turtles and humphead wrasses. A 2020 Rolex Award winner, her research on heat-resistant coral strains has been adopted by the Maldives and Seychelles. Omar's 2022 paper 'Coral Resilience in Warming Waters' in Scientific Reports revolutionized reef restoration strategies. She co-founded Scholars of the Arabian Sea, a regional network training 300+ scientists annually. Her TEDx talk 'The Underwater Forests of Oman' (2021) popularized marine conservation across the Middle East.