William Precht is a carbonate sedimentologist by training and has been studying coral reefs since 1978. He was first introduced to coral reefs at Discovery Bay Marine Lab in Jamaica as an undergraduate student and has been working there ever since. His current research areas include the Bahamas, Belize, Florida, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. His research interests include combining ecological and geological methodologies to decipher "change" in reef communities through time and space. Using this integrated approach, he (with collaborators Richard B. Aronson and Ian Macintyre) has been able to assess the geological and ecological novelty of many of the recent maladies affecting Caribbean coral reefs. This includes deciphering local anthropogenic signals from overarching global effects. Specific research has included the effects of coral disease and coral bleaching on the trajectories of reef coral communities. Presently, he is developing cutting edge assessment and restoration strategies for reefs impacted by various anthropogenic sources, including providing expert assistance to a wide array of both national and international clients.

Since completing his graduate degree in Marine Geology and Geophysics from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Mr. Precht has worked as an environmental scientist specializing in the restoration and rehabilitation of various coastal resources, especially coral reef, seagrass and mangrove systems. In addition to these duties, Mr. Precht maintains status as a Visiting Research Scientist with the Smithsonian Institution's Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Program in Belize and as an Adjunct Faculty to Northeastern University's East/West Marine Science Program where he teaches a course in coral reef ecology and geology every winter quarter. To date, he has published over 155 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles and abstracts and has presented over 100 invited lectures to universities, professional societies and organizations. He is presently working on a book (under contract), entitled Coral Reef Restoration Handbook: The Rehabilitation and Preservation of an Ecosystem Under Siege to be published by CRC Press of Florida.