Rana Novack

A Jordanian environmental engineer pioneering 3D-printed coral reefs to restore marine ecosystems.

Rana Novack is the founder of Coral Restoration, a Jordan-based startup using 3D printing technology to rebuild coral reefs. Her innovation combines marine biology with advanced manufacturing to create artificial reefs that mimic natural coral structures. Novack’s work directly addresses coral bleaching caused by climate change, with projects in the Red Sea and Caribbean showing 70% survival rates for transplanted corals compared to traditional methods.

In 2022, Novack’s team developed CoralPrint, a material composed of calcium carbonate and biodegradable polymers that supports faster coral growth. This material was tested in partnership with Nature Research and demonstrated 3x faster polyp attachment rates. Her National Geographic-funded project in Aqaba, Jordan, restored 2km of reef in just 18 months, becoming a model for coastal communities.

Novack advocates for community-driven conservation, training local fisherfolk in reef maintenance through WWF Jordan partnerships. Her TEDx talk "3D printing coral reefs to fight climate change" has reached 2M+ views. Critics highlight scalability challenges but praise her modular design approach, which allows reefs to be assembled like LEGO bricks for easy deployment. By 2025, Coral Restoration aims to protect 50km of reef systems globally.