Sharon Wismer

Post Doc

Sharon spent her childhood between the Swiss Alps and the shores of Durban, South Africa, where exploring local rock pools ignited her passion for marine life. After completing her BSc in Marine Biology at James Cook University in 2007, she happily managed The Bellwood Lab for next 2.5 years. Sharon subsequently moved back home to Switzerland and finished her MSc and PhD under the supervision of Prof. Redouan Bshary, at the University of Zürich and the University of Neuchâtel, respectively, where she investigated the decision strategies and cognitive abilities of cleaner fish, Labroides dimidiatus. As of 2017, Sharon is funded by a Swiss National Science Foundation postdoctoral mobility fellowship. Her collaborative project investigates the impact of recent mass bleaching events on reef fishes, with a particular focus on coral-associated fishes. In her free time, Sharon enjoys spending time with her two children and engaging in community outreach projects that educate school aged children in the conservation of the natural world.

Renato Morais

Post Doc

A quick glance at Renato's "pre-settlement" life in inland Brazil would not suggest any particular involvement with the ocean. Yet, he tortuously traced his path to coastal southern Brazil, where he undertook his Bachelor in Biological Sciences and Masters in Ecology at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. He studied the patterns and drivers of reef fish biomass along Brazilian reefs, supervised by Profs. Sergio Floeter and Carlos Ferreira. In June 2016 he joined Prof. Bellwood's lab to start his PhD focusing on the productivity of coral reef fishes.

During his PhD, he developed a framework to improve and popularise estimates of fish biomass production in high-diversity ecosystems via the R package rfishprod (Morais and Bellwood 2020 Coral Reefs). This framework allowed interesting insights on the energetics of coral reefs (e.g. Morais et al. 2020 Functional Ecology), which opened the door for topics Renato will be pursuing during his post-doc at the Reef Function Hub. These topics include the role of spatial subsidies in the production of fish biomass on coral reefs (follow up from Morais and Bellwood 2019 Current Biology), and whether or not buffering productivity (i.e. the resistance of production facing overexploitation; follow up from Morais, Connolly and Bellwood 2020 Global Change Biology) is a process likely to sustain reef fisheries yields.

Renato’s recent publications

Jodie Schlaefer

Post Doc

Jodie grew up in Canberra, Australia’s land locked capital. She loved all things science from a young age, and family holidays on the New South Wales coast fostered her fascination with the marine environment. Jodie completed her BSc (Hon, Marine Biology) in 2014 and her PhD in 2020, both at James Cook University, and both under the supervision of Prof. Michael Kingsford and Prof. Eric Wolanski. Further, she has worked as a research assistant with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies since late 2018. Jodie’s research has principally focussed on how populations of aquatic organisms are shaped by both the traits/behaviours of the organisms and the physical properties of their environments. She has studied a variety of organisms including coral reef fish larvae, jellyfish and seagrass. As an ARC Laureate postdoctoral research associate in the Function Hub Jodie will investigate the functions provided by coral reef organisms from a uniquely bio-physical perspective.

Jodie’s recent publications

Christopher Hemingson

PhD Alumnus

Christopher (Chris) grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. His interest in the ocean started at very young age when his family would vacation to the beach in the summer months. However, it was his first experience diving in the Caribbean that solidified his passion for coral reefs. He received a Bachelors of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University (gig ‘em!) but this deep-seeded interest in coral reef ecosystems eventually brought him to James Cook University. After completing his masters research project which studied how fish assemblages differ between coastal habitats (reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves), Chris decided to pursue a Doctoral Degree. His PhD research investigates the factors responsible for the extreme diversity of colours and patterns found on coral reef fishes.

Current position (2023) : Stengl-Wyer Scholar at University of Texas, Marine Science Institute

Watch Chris explain his latest research on coral reef fish colours in the video below:

Chris’ recent publications

Victor Huertas

PhD Alumnus

As a kid growing up in Barcelona, Spain, the Mediterranean Sea was Víctor's playground. Spending hours snorkeling in the northwestern Mediterranean, he quickly developed an appreciation for the marine environment. After earning his undergraduate degree in Spain, he moved overseas and spent five years in the western Caribbean, where he combined field research with conservation activities. In 2016, he completed his Masters Degree in Marine Biology and Ecology at James Cook University. In his MSc thesis, supervised by Prof. Bellwood, Víctor described an unusual lip adaptation in tubelip wrasses that enables them to feed on corals. In his PhD, he investigated the effects of coral-feeding fishes on coral reef resilience under a range of scenarios.

Victor completed his PhD in 2021 and is currently working at ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies as a Postdoctoral researcher and digital communications officer

Victors Latest Publications

Michalis Mihalitsis

PhD Alumnus

Michalis (Mike) is half Greek and half Danish. He grew up next to the Mediterranean Sea where he developed a passion for fish. After completing high school in Greece, he moved to Denmark to study Biology at the University of Copenhagen. He then moved to Australia to undertake a Masters degree at James Cook University, under the supervision of David Bellwood, where he started working on piscivorous fishes. He is a PhD Graduate, who’s studies focused on the nature of piscivory on coral reefs, from the perspective of both predators and prey. His research focused primarily on morphology and behaviour, and has components of both aquarium-based experiments and fieldwork.

Current position: Postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis, California

Mike’s recent publications

Francesca Coleman

Masters Alumna

Since she can remember Francesca has always loved the ocean. From spending weekends out sailing with her Dad to crabbing with her friends and attending beach clean-ups, she took every opportunity to learn about the ocean. Growing up in England the legacy of great British naturalists such as Charles Darwin and David Attenborough inspired her to travel the world and pursue a career in natural science.

When the opportunity arose for her to move to New Zealand to study a Bachelor of Science majoring in Zoology and Marine Science she grabbed it with both hands. At Otago University her interest in geological history grew and she found herself studying evolution and how biogeography shaped species distribution through time. After three years of living in the cold she decided tropical biology would be a welcome change, so set her sights on JCU.

Francesca completed her minor project, part of her MSc in Marine Biology, under the supervision of David Bellwood and Alexandre Siqueira with a focus on biogeographical barriers. After graduating, Francesca aspires to continue her research in biogeography and tropical evolution. 

Jessica Valenzuela

Masters Student Alumna / Research Assistant

Growing up in the landlocked region of north Texas in the United States, Jessica's passion for marine biology arose from her father's love for marine life, David Attenborough documentaries, and trips to the local aquarium. Determined to explore the ocean for herself, she moved to southern California, where she completed her undergraduate degree in 2016 at Claremont McKenna College. In 2019, she came to James Cook University to pursue her interest in tropical reef fishes. Under the supervision of David Bellwood and Renato Morais, she completed her masters in 2020. Her research project investigated ontogenetic habitat shifts in Caesioninae, a group of planktivorous fishes. Jessica now works as a research assistant for the Reef Function Hub.

Jess’s publications

Samantha Crisp

Honours Student

Sam considers herself extremely lucky to have been raised in the small coastal town of Esperance, Western Australia, where her life inevitably revolved around the ocean. She had first-hand experience with local environmental issues from an early age and broadened her awareness of challenges involving environmental management, via travel abroad. With marine conservation as her passion, she commenced her Bachelor of Advanced Science (Marine Biology) at James Cook University, in 2018. After graduating in 2021, Sam completed her Honours, investigating phase shifts on coral reefs under the supervision of David Bellwood and Sterling Tebbett.

Samantha’s recent publications