Bert Hoeksema has been studying Indo-Pacific reef corals since 1982. In that year he was an MSC student and started research on mushroom corals at Naturalis Biodiversity Center, in Leiden, the Netherlands. At present, he is head of the department of Marine Zoology in that institute. Most of his field research was carried out in SE Asia, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia. He is interested in the taxonomy, phylogeny, biogeography, and ecology of corals and other reef organisms. Much of his present research is focussed on biodiversity patterns, the evolution of inter-specific associations and habitats (phylo-ecology), and on the variability of marine faunas over time (historical ecology).