Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementChristopher Hemingson
PhD candidate
James Cook University
christopher.hemingson@my.jcu.edu.au
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
Christopher grew up on the coast of Texas, in the United States. His love for the ocean blossomed at a very young age when he would frequently vacation to the beach during summer months. When Chris was a teenager, he and his family became certified to SCUBA dive. Following this were many trips to various locations around the Caribbean to dive on coral reef ecosystems. It was at this time that he realised he wanted to pursue a career involving the marine environment. He received a Bachelor’s of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University (gig ‘em!) but his love for coral reef ecosystems brought him to James Cook University. Upon completion of his Masters of Science under the supervision of Professor David Bellwood, he decided to further pursue research by embarking on a PhD. Chris and his advisers, David Bellwood and Peter Cowman, aim to investigate questions involving the vast diversity of colouration and patterns present in reef fish taxa. They are looking into both the evolutionary basis and the ecological role that colour and patterns serve on coral reefs.
A team of scientists led by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) won one of the nation’s top science awards at tonight’s ‘Oscars of Australian science’, the Eureka P
An analytical tool will be used to assess the climate risks facing historic World Heritage sites in Africa—the ruins of two great 13th century ports and the remains of a palace and iron-making indus
A world-first study on the Great Barrier Reef shows crown-of-thorns starfish have the ability to find their own way home—a behaviour previously undocumented—but only if their neighbourhood is stoc
An international team of scientists has found leaving more big fish in the sea reduces the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the Earth’s atmosphere. When a fish dies in the ocean it si
Abstract: Invasive species management can be the the subject of debate in many countries due to conflicting ecological, ethical, economic, and social reasons, especially when dealing with a species s
Abstract: Ocean acidification, the increase in seawater CO2 with all its associated consequences, is relatively well understood in open oceans. In shelf seas such as the Great Barrier Reef, processe
Abstract: The backdrop of legends and movies, the deep sea has always been unfathomable because we had no idea what existed there. Once thought to be barren of life, we now know this couldn’t be
Abstract: Coral reefs provide economic and environmental services for millions of people but undergoing significant ecological decline due to local (i.e., sedimentation, land-based pollution, invas
Abstract: Increasing human populations around the world’s coastline have caused extensive loss, degradation and fragmentation of coastal ecosystems. Swift losses of coastal ecosystems have been rec
Abstract: CHE is not a particular theory or a single approach but a collection of lines of research that address human-environmental interactions in coastal and marine systems at the local scale
Abstract: How can we care about something we never see or experience? Virtual reality has the potential to connect people with far-away places, and is an effective medium to generate empathy and sel
Partner Research Institutions
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