1

People and ecosystems

Understanding of the links between coral reef ecosystems, the goods and services they provide to people, and the wellbeing of human societies.

2

Ecosystem dynamics: past, present and future

Examining the multi-scale dynamics of reefs, from population dynamics to macroevolution

3

Responding to a changing world

Advancing the fundamental understanding of the key processes underpinning reef resilience.
Coral Bleaching

Coral Bleaching
Coral Reef Studies

ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia

Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au

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The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies is seeking applications from exceptional students to enroll in a PhD under the supervision of leading researchers at its four nodes around Australia (James Cook University, the Australian National University, the University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia).

The scholarship cycle in Australia is on a calendar basis with closing dates for international and domestic applications between August and October; both with an expected starting date for successful applicants at the beginning of the following year. Suitable applicants will be required to go through a formal application at the relevant University and, if successful, will be awarded a scholarship and tuition waiver. Depending on the University and supervisor, there may be the possibility, in the case of outstanding applicants, for a top-up to their scholarship. To be competitive for a scholarship and fee waiver, applicants must have an Honours degree or Masters degree, preferably with a publication if you are international.

Many student applicants come with scholarships from another funding source such as granting agencies in their home country. We are happy to deal with these applications at any time of the year. Acceptance is dependent on the applicant meeting our academic criteria, has been accepted by a suitable supervisor and meets the language requirements.

The following leading researchers in the Centre have expressed an interest in recruiting new exceptional PhD students. Their email addresses and areas of interest for research projects are listed below. If you are interested, please contact one of the following to discuss opportunities.

Coral Reef Oceanography
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics
Conservation Planning
Coral Reef Ecology
Ecological Modelling
Environmental Governance
Human Dimensions and Social-Ecological Systems
Coral Reef Ecology and Biology
Ocean Acidification and Climate Change
Reef Fish Ecology and Climate Change

Ocean Acidification and Climate Change

Professor Malcolm McCulloch
Email: malcolm.mcCulloch@uwa.edu.au

My research program focusses on the response of corals to climate change and ocean acidification. Students with a background in geochemistry and biochemistry are especially encouraged to discuss research opportunities.

  • Quantifying biogenic controls on coral calcification in an acidifying ocean
  • Growth and survival of coral at their extreme limits
  • Long-term coral proxy records of climate change including ocean acidification, ocean warming and river runoff.
  • Role of local versus regional drivers on coral reef ecosystems

ACTIVELY RECRUITING FOR A FULLY FUNDED PhD SCHOLARSHIP: Climate Change in the Deep Oceans. For more information and to apply click here. Preferred commencement before June 2021.

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Coral Reef Oceanography

Professor Ryan Lowe
Email: Ryan.Lowe@uwa.edu.au

My research focuses on how ocean dynamics shape coral reef systems, using a combination of field studies and numerical modelling. Students with quantitative backgrounds in oceanography, the geosciences, or related fields are especially encouraged to discuss research opportunities.

  • Hydrodynamics of coral reef systems
  • Process-based modelling studies of reef dynamics
  • Biophysical interactions within coral reefs
  • Coral reef carbonate budgets and response to environmental change
  • Mechanisms of coral reef connectivity
  • Tropical cyclone impacts on reefs
  • Downscaling ocean climate change to local reefs

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Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics

Professor David Miller
Email: david.miller@jcu.edu.au

  • Molecular mechanisms of immunity and disease in corals
  • Coral – microbe interactions, particularly mechanisms by which corals manipulate associated bacteria
  • Developmental biology and metamorphosis in soft and hard corals
  • The molecular mechanisms of calcification in corals, octocorals and calcareous sponges
  • Comparative genomics of corals and other “lower” animals
  • Stress responses and epigenetics of hard and soft corals

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Conservation Planning

Professor Bob Pressey
Email: bob.pressey@jcu.edu.au

  • Design of marine protected areas and use-zones within them
  • Implementation requirements for turning conservation plans into conservation action: social, economic and political considerations
  • Testing the effectiveness of marine habitats as surrogates for species distributions
  • Planning to promote the persistence of ecological processes, including dispersal of larvae between reefs and patch dynamics of disturbance and resources
  • Integrated conservation planning for coastal catchments and near-shore marine areas
  • Improved ways of incorporating social and economic considerations into planning decisions
  • Explaining and predicting reserve management costs from internal and external drivers
  • Measuring the impact (difference made) by conservation reserves

Dr Alana Grech
Email: alana.grech@jcu.edu.au

  • Spatial planning and coastal management
  • Cumulative impact and risk assessments
  • Biophysical modelling of marine plant dispersal and connectivity

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Coral Reef Ecology

Professor David Bellwood
Email: david.bellwood@jcu.edu.au

  • Evolution and ecology of reef fishes.
  • The global biogeography of coral reef species
  • Developing new technologies for coral reef regeneration and recovery
  • Understanding the importance of biodiversity on coral reefs
  • Identifying critical ecosystem processes on coral reefs
  • Evaluating the role of herbivorous fishes in reef systems
  • Understanding direct human impacts and climate change on ecosystem processes
  • Using fossils and phylogenies to unravel the evolution of reef fishes

Dr Andrew Hoey
Email: andrew.hoey1@jcu.edu.au

  • Resilience and recovery of reef systems
  • The role of macroalgae and ecological feedbacks in reef dynamics
  • Anthropogenic and climate change effects on ecosystem function
  • Biology, ecology and role of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs
  • Effects of temperature on reef processes

Professor Peter Mumby
Email: p.j.mumby@uq.edu.au

  • Coral reef resilience
  • Marine reserve design
  • Management of reef fisheries and their productivity
  • Climate change impacts on ecosystem function
  • Mapping ecosystem services
  • Modelling coral reef futures with different management scenarios

Professor John Pandolfi
Email: j.pandolfi@uq.edu.au

  • Effects of climate change on tropical and sub-tropical coral reefs
  • Ecological dynamics of coral reef ecosystems over broad spatial and temporal scales
  • Uncovering shifting baselines to guide reef management actions
  • Historical ecology of fishing in Australia
  • The origins and evolutionary turnover of Indo-Pacific reef biodiversity

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Ecological Modelling

Professor Peter Mumby

Email: p.j.mumby@uq.edu.au

  • Future dynamics of coral reefs under climate change and role of management interventions
  • Ecosystem function and ecosystem services
  • Coral reef resilience. Enquiries to Professor Mumby regarding a PhD scholarship are welcome

Professor Graeme Cumming
Email: graeme.cumming@jcu.edu.au

  • Ecosystem structure-process relationships, spatial resilience, and collapse

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Environmental Governance

Associate Professor Tiffany Morrison
Email: tiffany.morrison@jcu.edu.au

  • Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the political dynamics of large scale governance systems
  • Longitudinal transformation of large-scale governance systems in tropical, coastal and marine regions
  • The role of large organisations (public, private, non-profit) in transformative governance
  • Adaptation of governance to large-scale crisis

Dr. Michele Barnes
Email: Michele.barnes@jcu.edu.au

  • Social networks, social capital, and environmental outcomes
  • Social-ecological networks
  • Adaptation, transformation, and multi-level resilience
  • Inequality, power, and sociocultural diversity in coastal communities

Professor Graeme Cumming
Email: mailto:graeme.cumming@jcu.edu.au

  • Landscape ecology of institutions

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Human Dimensions and Social-Ecological Systems

Dr. Michele Barnes
Email: Michele.barnes@jcu.edu.au

  • Social networks, social capital, and environmental outcomes
  • Social-ecological networks
  • Adaptation, transformation, and multi-level resilience
  • Inequality, power, and sociocultural diversity in coastal communities

Professor Graeme Cumming
Email: graeme.cumming@jcu.edu.au

  • Modelling coral reef-associated social-ecological systems and their resilience
  • Quantitative analysis of social-ecological collapse

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Coral Biology and Ecology

Professor Andrew Baird
Email: andrew.baird@jcu.edu.au

  • Coral life histories
  • Coral systematics

Dr Mia Hoogenboom
Email: mia.hoogenboom1@jcu.edu.au

  • Impacts of climate change on corals and reefs
  • Ecological modelling: from individuals to ecosystems
  • Effects of pollution on reef organisms
  • Trait-based approaches to understanding coral communities
  • Ecosystem function of corals

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Ocean Acidification and Climate Change

Professor Malcolm McCulloch
Email: malcolm.mcCulloch@uwa.edu.au

My research program focusses on the response of corals to climate change and ocean acidification. Students with a background in geochemistry and biochemistry are especially encouraged to discuss research opportunities.

  • Quantifying biogenic controls on coral calcification in an acidifying ocean
  • Growth and survival of coral at their extreme limits
  • Long-term coral proxy records of climate change including ocean acidification, ocean warming and river runoff.
  • Role of local versus regional drivers on coral reef ecosystems

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Reef Fish Ecology and Climate Change

Professor Geoff Jones
Email: geoffrey.jones@jcu.edu.au

  • Connectivity of reef fish populations
  • Influence of habitat loss on threatened reef fishes
  • Behavioural ecology of coral reef fishes
  • Role of marine reserves in biodiversity conservation and fisheries
  • Coral reef conservation in the coral triangle

Professor Mark McCormick
Email: mark.mccormick@jcu.edu.au

  • Climate Change and the Demography of Reef Fish Assemblages

Professor Garry Russ
Email: garry.russ@jcu.edu.au

  • Fisheries on coral reefs

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Media Releases

More
04 Mar 2021
Gender assumptions harm progress on climate adaption and resilience

Scientists say outdated assumptions around gender continue to hinder effective and fair policymaking and action for climate mitigation and adaptation. Lead author of a new study, Dr Jacqueline Lau

02 Mar 2021
Half a trillion corals: world-first coral count prompts rethink of extinction risks

For the first time, scientists have assessed how many corals there are in the Pacific Ocean—and evaluated their risk of extinction. While the answer to “how many coral species are there?” is

18 Feb 2021
Fish diet heats up marine biodiversity hotspot

Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen biodiversity pattern of coral reef fishes that suggests some fishes might be exceptionally vulnerable to environmental change. A new study shows plank
02 Feb 2021
Much to glean when times are rough

Scientists say stable seafood consumption amongst the world’s poorer coastal communities is linked to how local habitat characteristics influence fishing at different times of the year. In the co

Seminars

More
26 Feb
Revealing connections in the sea: Insight into the processes shaping the spatial distribution of marine fishes

Abstract: The vast majority of reef fishes have a life history consisting of a pelagic larval phase of typically 20 to 60 days, followed by larval settlement where they remain through their juvenile a
23 Feb
Can you share the fish and manage them too? The role of fish and fishing in sharing networks and implications for fisheries management.

Abstract: Social networks have been and remain important across the Pacific Islands, and beyond, for building and maintaining social-ecological resilience. However, there is little quantitative infor
17 Feb
WWF and small scale fisheries

Abstract: The global conservation community is comprised of a range of organisations, processes, and professionals. Given the diversity of these actors, and the complexity of the systems that conser
09 Feb
Seasonal dynamics in small-scale fisherie

Abstract: Seasons create a rhythm in nature and, by extension, in the lives of people who depend directly on natural resources. However, our understanding of how seasons affect the ways that people
08 Feb
Do shark sanctuaries effectively protect wide-ranging sharks? A case study of the Cook Islands Shark Sanctuary

Abstract: Oceanic shark populations have declined 77% over the past 60 years as a result of overexploitation in fisheries. However, sustainable shark management is limited to a few developed nations

03 Feb
Vertigo3 underwater true-flight glider with application to broadscale crown-of-thorns management in the Great Barrier Reef

Abstract: Vertigo3 is a new class of small, fast and agile ‘true-flight’ underwater glider, purposely designed for robotic, artificial intelligence-assisted broadscale marine surveys, and capable
30 Jan
Adaptive seascapes: environmental and genetic drivers of heat tolerance in corals

Abstract: Recurrent marine heat waves are leading to widespread coral bleaching, transforming the structure and function of tropical coral reefs. Past bleaching events have highlighted large variatio
29 Jan
Beyond the reef: the influence of seascape structure on the composition and function of tropical fish communities

Abstract: Shallow-water tropical seascapes typically include a range of habitat types such as coral reefs, mangroves, macroalgal and seagrass beds. These habitats can occur in close proximity and are

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Coral Reef Studies

ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia

Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au

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