Meet Dowla F Al-Suwaidi
Board Member
Dowla (aka Dola), joined Lionfish Central’s Board of Directors in the Fall of 2023. Dola had been an intern for us since 2022 while she was finishing her dissertation project at UWE-Bristol. Her project studied lionfish and the different methods of management. We worked closely with Dola for all the stats, data, methodologies and more. Her passion for ocean health is evident by her degrees and hard work:
University of the West of England in Bristol UK
- MSc. Advanced Wildlife conservation in Practice
- MSc. Environmental Consultancy
- BSc. Environmental Science
College of the North Atlantic in Qatar
- Diploma: Environmental Health



Dola’s Journey
Dola traveled to the United States multiple times from both England and Qatar to work with us on our biggest and most technical project to date – our submersible. She was there for our first test dives, modification, documentation, and even got to go down in it! She also helped establish our Submersible Training Courses which she attended and helped with technical drawings, data and more. Her work helped has helped us on so many levels and we knew as soon a she graduated we needed to continue working with her.
Dowla is from the middle east where not everybody knows how dangerous lionfish can be in other regions. She knows how easily it is for lionfish to adjust in practically any waters. Her knowledge and passion fit nicely with Lionfish Central’s core mission of evaluating and education for eradication of the lionfish. She is now taking on the role of global education so we can teach others to join the fight for saving our oceans.
Dowla is currently designing educational programs to allow students from around the world to join our marine science courses online, in person or through our upcoming TV Channel dedicated to marine science learning. She will be working closely with students from high schools to universities around the world for educational and internship opportunities. Who knows, maybe some interns can go diving in our submersible – Dola did!
Lionfish Central is excited, honored and proud to have Dowla F Al-Suwaidi serving as one of our Board of Directors.