Ruth Deborah Gates (March 28, 1962 – October 25, 2018) was the Director of the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology and the first woman to be President of the International Society for Reef Studies.

Even after the death of Ruth Gates in October 2018, her team continues on to conduct research centered around the biological traits of coral reef ecosystems.

[21] Gates' research team hosted the first coral restoration workshop in Hawaii at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology in 2017.

[22] The research team's restoration efforts in Hawaii's coral reefs focus on realistic and effective approaches.

[23] Other research and restoration publications have discussed the effects of beneficial mutations, genetic variation, and human assisted relocation.

"[7] In 2013, she won the Paul G. Allen Ocean Challenge, a $10,000 prize that allowed her to improve the resilience of vulnerable coral reef ecosystems.

[25][26] For the proposal, Gates joined Madeleine van Oppen, and used genetic selection to boost resilience to environmental stress.

[7] She was elected the first female president of the International Society for Reef Studies in 2015 and significantly increased membership and involvement while she served.

[7][39] The Super Coral proposals were featured in Fast Company, Gizmodo, PBS, Newsweek, Hawaii Business, National Geographic, the Huffington Post, New Scientist and the BBC.

[51][52] The Gates Coral Lab is involved in a wide range of public engagement and outreach, including hosting students from Mo'orea.

[8] Gates' work at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology is featured in the captivating Netflix documentary, Chasing Coral.

"[47] The documentary showcases her work with Richard Vevers and the rest of his diving team on a project to capture the process of coral bleaching in the wild for the first time.

[47] Gates provides the scientific foundation of knowledge for the conduction of this project, educating the team of divers and the audience of the film throughout.

[7] Gates was diagnosed with brain cancer at 56 years old,[55][56] but died from complications during a surgery for diverticulitis, unrelated to her former diagnosis.