Nakia is a marine biologist, conservationist, and founder of Marine Action Research (MAR) in Zavora, Mozambique. As the scientific director of MAR, she leads students and citizen scientists in underwater projects such as manta ray photo-ID, shark and ray identification, nudibranch (sea slug) surveys, artificial reef colonization, and seahorse monitoring. Her mission is to conserve the coastal ecosystems of Mozambique while teaching people, both theoretically and practically, the importance of research and the beauty of working in the underwater world.