David Bellwood

Leading Researcher

David's research interests encompass the evolution and ecology of reef fishes. The central theme of his research is to understand the role that fishes play on coral reefs; from the origins of herbivory in the Cenozoic to the role of fishes in maintaining reef resilience. The approach is largely based on ecology, although it encompasses functional morphology, molecular phylogenetics, and palaeontology. At larger scales, David's interests include global biogeography and the conservation of coral reefs, particularly the role of biodiversity in ecosystem processes. David has maintained a research lab at James Cook University since 1991, supervising over 60 postgraduate students and teaching 3 undergraduate classes each year.

David’s recent publications

The Bellwood Reef Fish Lab

Our origins and closest collaborators

The Bellwood Reef Fish Lab is our origin, our home base and our closest collaborator. We currently share our workspace at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia and continue to work closely with all lab members.

Click here for a full list of the current Bellwood Lab members

The Reef Function Hub’s focus on functions and ecological processes originates in the Bellwood lab.

The Bellwood lab focuses explicitly on reef fishes and has done so with remarkable output over the past 3 decades. We love the lab, and are proud of our home. But we are also excited to expand our focus from fish to reef-wide functions. 

Sam Swan

Lab Manager

Growing up close to the coast as a Townsville local sparked Sam’s interest in the ocean at a young age. After some time living abroad, he found his way back to Townsville and enrolled in a Bachelor of Science at James Cook University, majoring in Marine Biology and Paleontology. Sam came to the lab while combining the two fields in a minor project with David Bellwood and started as lab manager shortly afterward. He is passionate about assisting his colleagues to integrate leading technologies and methods in the research and teaching of reef fish ecology and evolution.

Alexandre Siqueira

Post Doc

Being born where the Brazilian savannah meets the rainforest, Ale has always been fascinated with biological diversity. This fascination led him to study Biological Sciences, and during his degree he started working with freshwater fishes. Although these fishes taught him a lot, he decided to fulfill a passion for the sea and went on a search for more salty environments.

In 2015, he earned a MSc degree in Ecology from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, examining evolutionary processes related to the latitudinal distribution of reef fish biodiversity. Between 2015 and 2016 he was hired as a lecturer of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology at the same university.

Then, to dive deeper into the evolution of coral reefs, he decided to make a move far from home and settled in Australia. He finished his PhD at JCU in early 2021 under the supervision of Peter Cowman and David Bellwood, examining the evolution, macroecology and biogeography of coral reef fishes from a trophic perspective. Now, as a Post Doc at the Reef Function Hub, Ale will investigate the evolution of key functions in coral reef organisms and its consequences for present-day biodiversity patterns.

Ale’s recent publications

Robert Streit

Post Doc | Reef Function Hub Communications Manager

Already as a child Bert enjoyed poking around in reef flat rock pools while growing up on the shores of the Indian Ocean in Kenya. After finishing school and his undergraduate studies in biology in Munich, Germany, that early interest for reefs and the tropics washed back to the surface and lead him to study his Master’s degree (and eventually PhD) at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia.

He completed his postgraduate research on browsing herbivorous fishes in the Bellwood Reef Fish Lab in 2014. After a break making coffees, he started his PhD in 2016, supervised by David Bellwood and Graeme Cumming. In his PhD, Bert focused on movement and space use in reef fishes - basically trying to understand how fishes move around their home and how this influences ecological functions and reef resilience.

Now Bert works as a postdoctoral researcher and communications manager in the Reef Function Hub.
In his research he now studies “functional traits” as a research tool and continues to work on spatial questions in reef ecology: what are functional ranges of fishes, how can we map ecologically critical behaviour and how can we use new technology like 3D photogrammetry for ecological questions?

Bert’s recent publications

Sterling Tebbett

Post Doc

Sterling grew up on Australia’s Sunshine Coast where he became interested in the marine environment and fishes, from a young age. He has been at JCU since 2012 and completed a BSc in Marine Biology in 2014 and an Honours in 2016, under the supervision of David Bellwood and Chris Goatley. His honours examined how sediments mediated interactions between surgeonfishes and algal turfs on coral reefs. Since completing his honours he worked as the lab manager in the Bellwood Lab up until the end of 2018. In 2019 he started his PhD under the supervision of David Bellwood and Sean Connolly. Sterling’s PhD research built on his earlier honours research to understand how fishes, sediments and productivity interact to sustain the functioning of future coral reef configurations.

As a postdoc in the Reef Function Hub, Sterling is now undertaking a diverse array of research that covers multiple taxonomic groups and spatial scales. This research ranges from small-scale field-based studies aimed at examining the functional roles of key organisms through to global-scale studies that utilise a macroecological approach to understand coral reef change. His research also extends to the conceptual side of studying ecosystem functions and he is particularly passionate about continuing the development of process-based perspectives to investigate coral reefs. Despite this diverse array of research, it all shares one common theme: a focus on understanding how coral reefs function.

Sterling’s recent publications

Juliano Morais

PhD Candidate

Despite his passion for the ocean since his childhood, Juliano grew up in Brazil more than 1000 km from the coast, where he undertook his Bachelor in Biological Sciences at the Federal University of Goiais. In 2016, he moved to the Northeast coast of Brazil to do his Master's degree at Federal University of Paraiba and get closer to his great interest and passion: marine life diversity. During his Master’s, he worked with coral reef diversity and also collaborated with the creation of a 422 km2 marine protected area in the state of Paraiba. After completing this step, he decided to move to Australia to dive deeper in this field and, in 2020, he joined Professor David Bellwood's lab to do his PhD focusing on interactions between fish and corals in a functional approach.

Juliano’s recent publications

Helen Yan

PhD Candidate (she/her)

At the age of 5, Helen’s curiosity for the ocean was inspired by her older sister. Growing up in Vancouver, Canada, she frequented rocky shores in the search for any and all organisms in the intertidal. Naturally, she finally took her curiosity below the surface during her undergraduate career at Simon Fraser University, where she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Isabelle Côté’s lab. Since then, she has graduated with her Honours, which was done in collaboration with Griffith University in the Gold Coast, Australia, and has since been working for the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. Hanging up her drysuit temporarily, Helen’s PhD thesis will be exploring the interplay between coral-loss and reef fish assemblages.

Helen’s recent publications

Isabelle Ng

PhD Candidate

Growing up in Hong Kong – the center of the food fish and shark fin trade – Isabelle witnessed the ramifications of overexploitation, which catapulted her engagement in marine conservation from a young age. It drove her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Organismal Biology and Environmental Policy from Pitzer College in California. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, Isabelle made the move to Singapore, where she worked as an outdoor educator, teaching terrestrial and marine ecology around South-East Asia. 

Fast forward to this year, Isabelle completed her Master of Science (Professional) degree in Marine Biology at James Cook University (JCU). Her MSc Minor Project, supervised by Dr. Alexandre Siqueira and Prof. David Bellwood, was focused on understanding the various ecological, environmental, and biogeographical factors that shape global patterns of hybrid richness in reef fishes. Through the duration of this project, Isabelle realized her strong affinity for learning, discovering, and expanding on ideas, which ultimately drove her to pursue a PhD. For the next 3-4 years, Isabelle will be completing her PhD at JCU under the supervision of Dr. Alexandre Siqueira, Prof. David Bellwood, and Prof. Jan Strugnell. She is interested in investigating tropical marine taxa from a biogeographical and evolutionary lens. 

Isabelle’s latest publications

William Collins

PhD Candidate

William (Will) was born in England and first found his passion for fish whilst fishing for Pike with his Father in the freshwater rivers and canals of Yorkshire. Then, when Will was 11 he moved to Australia with his parents and younger sister. The move gave him the ability to fish and explore both the fresh and saltwater systems around the sunshine coast. This opportunity really developed his passion and interest in the marine ecosystem and particularly the fish which live within it. This interest drove him to excel in science during high school. To further pursue this interest, he moved to Townsville to begin a Bachelor of Advanced Science majoring in Marine Biology at James Cook University. Since finishing his bachelor’s degree in 2019, Will spent 2020 working as joint lab manager/research assistant for David Bellwood and in 2021 completed his Honours degree working on the movement and habits of nocturnal reef fishes. Currently, Will is undertaking his PhD which aims to further our knowledge of nocturnal fishes and develop a better idea of their functional roles in marine ecosystems.

Will’s recent publications

Pooventhran Muruga

PhD Candidate

Pooventhran (Pooven) was born and raised in the garden city of Singapore. Being a hub for the ornamental fish trade, exploring aquarium shops proved to be a popular pastime for him. This fascination with fishes eventually grew and he embarked on a Bachelor of Environmental Studies at the National University of Singapore, while also minoring in aquatic ecology. For his honours project, he worked with the Freshwater and Invasion Biology lab, where he explored the autecology of the marbled gudgeon. Soon after, he moved to Australia to begin his master's degree in marine biology at James Cook University. As part of his masters, his minor project focused on incorporating both morphological and behavioural traits in piscivorous fishes to determine how these predators capture and process their prey. Currently, he has commenced his PhD, exploring the associations between reef fishes and corals, with the aim of gaining a better insight into the interdependency between these highly prolific groups.

Pooven’s recent publications

Casey Bowden

PhD Candidate

Casey put on her first snorkel mask at the age of 4 on the Great Barrier Reef and immediately fell in love with the ocean. She grew up in the heart of Melbourne and loved all activities in and around the water. She really discovered her passion for all things marine whilst travelling Australia as a child, particularly on the western coastline. Casey has been scuba diving since she was 12 years old and has worked towards a career in the marine world ever since. 

Casey completed her Bachelor of Advanced Science degree, majoring in Marine Biology at James Cook University in 2019. She then worked as joint lab manager/research assistant for the Bellwood Reef Fish Lab with Will Collins in 2020 before diving into the world of research. 

Casey’s Honours degree focused on the role of blennies in sediment dynamics on coral reefs, which she completed under the supervision of David Bellwood and Sterling Tebbett in 2021. Excited by the research process, Casey commenced her PhD with the Reef Function Hub in 2022, exploring the interactions between fishes and the coral reef environment in which they live.

Casey’s recent publications

Lucas Lutzenkirchen

Masters Student

Lucas first became interested in the marine environment and its inhabitants at a young age when he visited the aquarium in his hometown Berlin, Germany. After finishing a nursing degree and spending most of his time travelling overseas, Lucas picked up the pencil again to start a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology in Townsville in 2019. After completing his BSc. in 2021, he is now investigating reef flat systems as part of his Master’s under the supervision of Prof. David Bellwood and Dr. Stephanie Duce.

Lucas’ recent publications

James Gahan

Honours Student

James grew up in Bundaberg, Qld, and developed a fascination with the ocean through snorkeling and diving with his friends as a teenager. At 17 years old he joined the Australian Army and served for 6 years before rediscovering his passion for the ocean whilst traveling across Southeast Asia. He returned to Townsville in 2018 to follow his interests and completed a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology at James Cook University in 2021. He begins his honours under the supervision of David Bellwood, Orpha Bellwood, and Jodie Schlaefer investigating the near-reef planktonic community.

James’ recent publications

Caitlin Philipps

Honours Student

Caitlin spent most of her childhood sailing and exploring the Victorian coastline which sparked her passion for the marine world. It was witnessing the negative consequences in the environment she loved that led her involvement with the SEALIFE Trust ANZ and Ocean Youth and then the Ocean’s Project World Oceans Day Youth Advisory Council. It was working in conjunction with these organisations and people from around the world that Caitlin decided to follow a career in marine biology. This decision took her to Townsville where she began a Bachelor of Advanced Science in Marine Biology at James Cook University in 2019.  After graduating in 2021, Caitlin is now completing her Honours degree investigating currents and hydrodynamic models on coral reefs and how they can be used by marine ecologists.