Dr. Courtney earned his B.S. in Geology and Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where his research focused on the effects of temperature and ocean acidification on the growth rates and calcite stable isotopic composition of a tropical sea urchin. He then worked at Northeastern University to construct century-scale records of coral growth rates and skeletal geochemistry from Belize. Courtney completed his PhD and postdoc in Oceanography in the SCOOBY lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography investigating the rates and drivers of coral reef calcification and developed user-friendly tools to assess net coral reef calcification from benthic imagery and seawater chemistry data. He is now an assistant professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez where he leads the Biogeochemistry and Ecology Research Group, which primarily studies how the biogeochemistry of nearshore waters and the maintenance of coral reef structures are affected by local impacts and global environmental change with an emphasis on the coastal ecosystems of Puerto Rico. Courtney is also the CCRI water quality monitoring lab director, building the first, fully-equipped, public seawater analysis facility in Puerto Rico. Outside of his primary research interests, Courtney also aims to make science more accessible to everyone through developing open science tools, teaching and mentoring the next generation of environmental leaders, and conducting research that responds to the needs of local community groups and governmental organizations to best serve the island of Puerto Rico.