Naomi Gardiner
Projects
5
Publications
30
Awards
0
Contact Details
Associate Professor
- +61 7 4781 5721
- naomi.gardiner@jcu.edu.au
-
The Science Place, Townsville Campus
Biography
I am an Associate Professor in Marine Biology and Fisheries Science at James Cook University, where I’ve led postgraduate education, research, and engagement for over 15 years. My work reflects JCU’s values of authenticity, excellence, integrity, respect, and civic engagement, and aligns with our strategic priorities in transformative education, impactful research, and regional relevance.
My research focuses on applied marine science, particularly fisheries, ecological restoration, and citizen science. I lead capacity-building initiatives across the Asia-Pacific, including collaborations with FAO, CTI-CFF, WorldFish, and Indonesian universities. Projects such as the Minke Whale Project and THE QECOTF trawl fisheries bycatch mitigation project integrate stakeholder engagement, biodiversity conservation, and student training. I’ve secured over $4 million in research funding and authored 27 HERDC-recognised publications, with a strong citation impact.
In teaching, I specialise in fisheries science within the Marine Biology curriculum. I’ve developed and coordinated subjects including MB5620 Grand Challenges in Fisheries and MB5610 Fishing Gear & Technologies, embedding innovative pedagogy and real-world interaction. My leadership in curriculum renewal and cohort building has shaped the Master of Marine Biology and MSc Professional programs, with a strong emphasis on graduate employability and impact.
I also serve as Director of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) for the College of Science and Engineering, overseeing undergraduate and postgraduate placements, industry partnerships, and policy development. My service contributions span university-wide committees, marketing initiatives, and community-building efforts.
I actively mentor HDR and Masters students, particularly from the Asia-Pacific region, and contribute to interdisciplinary teaching through One Health subjects. My career is dedicated to empowering people, advancing marine science, and sustaining JCU’s leadership in tropical research and education.
Research
Projects
IkanAdapt - Securing Timor-Leste’s Fisheries for Sustainability and Ecological Resilience
01 Mar 2025 - 15 Mar 2027
Can the epaulette shark 'outwalk' climate change
20 Apr 2024 - 20 Apr 2025
Dwarf Minke Whale Project
01 Jan 2020 - 01 Jan 2025
Research Data
Research Collaborators and Partners
Teaching
Research Advisor Accreditation
Advisor Type
Mentor
Research Advisor Accreditation
Role
Chair; Independent Academic
Taught Modules
2022
[MB5000] Advances in Marine BiologyCoordinator, Lecturer
2023
[MB5000] Advances in Marine BiologyCoordinator, Lecturer
2024
2022
2023
2024
2022
[MB5620] Grand Challenges in FisheriesCoordinator, Lecturer
2022
[MB5620] Grand Challenges in FisheriesCoordinator
2023
[MB5620] Grand Challenges in FisheriesCoordinator
2024
[MB5620] Grand Challenges in FisheriesLecturer, Coordinator
2025
[SC3008] Professional PlacementLecturer, Coordinator
2024
[SC3008] Professional PlacementLecturer, Coordinator
2025
[SC3901] Special Topic 1Coordinator, Lecturer
2024
[SC3901] Special Topic 1Coordinator, Lecturer
2025
[SC5008] Professional PlacementCoordinator, Lecturer
2025
[SC5009] Postgraduate InternshipLecturer, Coordinator
2022
[SC5009] Postgraduate InternshipLecturer
2024
[SC5009] Postgraduate InternshipLecturer
2025
[SC5200] Professional EmployabilityCoordinator, Lecturer
2022
[SC5200] Career PlanningLecturer
2023
[SC5200] Career PlanningLecturer
2024
[SC5200] Career PlanningLecturer
2025
[SC5901] Special Topic 1Coordinator
2024
[SC5901] Special Topic 1Lecturer, Coordinator
2025
[SC5902] Special Topic 2Coordinator, Lecturer
2025
[SC5909] Minor Project and SeminarCoordinator
2022
[SC5912] Research Project (Part 1 of 2)Coordinator, Lecturer
2023
[SC5913] Research Project (Part 2 of 2)Coordinator, Lecturer
2023
[SC5913] Research Project (Part 2 of 2)Coordinator, Lecturer
2022
[SC5900] Special TopicLecturer, Coordinator
2025
2025
[MB5300] Sampling and Experimental DesignCoordinator, Lecturer
2022
[SC3902] Special Topic 2Coordinator, Lecturer
2024
Completed JCU Research Students
Investigating morphometry, growth patterns, and interactive behaviour of dwarf minke whales in the Great Barrier Reef: Insights from diver-operated stereo-video systems;;;;
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)- 2025
Current Honours and External Research Students
Bioturbation and habitat use patterns of small-bodied elasmobranchs in the shallow sand-flats of the remote St. Joseph Atoll in Seychelles
COURSEWORK_MASTERS- 2025
Age, growth and reproductive biology of sea snake by-catch in two trawl fisheries using a novel skeletochronology approach
COURSEWORK_MASTERS- 2025
Completed Honours and External Research Students
The Dynamic of Coral Reef Benthic Communities and Fish Assemblages in Batam and Natuna Islands, Indonesia
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Optimising Sea Cucumber Fisheries Management in Bougainville (Papua New Guinea)
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Implication of Indonesian fisheries regulation on tuna fisheries in Bitung, Indonesia from 2014 to 2018
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Habitat partitioning in Moreton Bay Bug species to inform Queensland fisheries management
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Coral Nurseries
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
An analysis of scarring on Ningaloo Reef whale sharks (Rhincodon typus)
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Acropora Coral Architecture and its Effect on Two Damselfish Associates: A Comparison of Colony Size and Structural Complexity
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Prevalence of coral disease between reef zones in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea with special reference to depth related Black Band Disease dynamics
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata sp.) mother and calf ecology in east and southern Australia
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Effects of suspended sediment and salinity on the early development of Acanthochromis polyacanthus
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
The ecological state and fishing practices of coral reefs in South Buton
RESEARCH_MASTERS
Citric acid injections: an accessible and efficient method for controlling outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Protection and habitat effects on exploited reef-flat molluscs in West Balinese marine protected area
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
The prospects of Lake Bangweulu Fisheries (LBF), Zambia
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Characterising the effectiveness of coral restoration to build reef resilience: a socio-ecological perspective
PHD
The influence of interspecific competition on the social organization in the damselfish Neopomacentrus
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Home is where the heart is – Reproductive behaviour and site-fidelity in a coral reef fish (f. Apogonidae)
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Localized impact of shrimp farm effluents on benthic communities of Putri Menjangan, Bali Indonesia
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Social relationships in a small habitat-dependent coral reef fish: an ecological, behavioural and genetic analysis
PHD
Gills develop early in coral reef fishes: respiratory and ion/osmoregulatory processes
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Depth and reef profile: effects on the distribution and abundance of coral reef fishes
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Age-based demography of Cephalopholis argus in various conditions of habitat
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Olfactory Discrimination in Juvenile Coral Reef Fishes: Response to Conspecifics and Coral Substrata
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Patterns of the relative abundance of dwarf minke whales during the austral winter season in the northern Great Barrier Reef
HONOURS
Making Sense of Scents: Olfactory discrimination in juvenile coral reef fish
RESEARCH_MASTERS
Small Bodied Reef Fish Community Dynamics in the Spermonde Archipelago, Sulawesi, Indonesia.
COURSEWORK_MASTERS
Activities
Committees
CSE Teaching & Learning Commitee
2012 - 2025
Associations
Employment
Lecturer, James Cook University
2009 - 2016
PhD, James Cook University
2006 - 2011
Education
Outreach
JCU Open Day
2012
Languages
Consultancy
Output
Gardiner, Naomi Marcelle (2010) Habitat specialisation, niche overlap and site fidelity in a vulnerable family of coral reef fishes: the cardinalfish (Apogonidae). [Thesis] [DOI]
Munpholsri, Nut; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Waltham, Nathan; Leahy, Susannah M. (2025) 'Habitat‐use strategies of young barramundi (Lates calcarifer) in a heavily modified landscape'. Journal of Fish Biology, . [DOI]
Strength of Sexual Selection and Sex Roles Vary between Social Groups in a Coral Reef Cardinalfish
2024
Rueger, Theresa; MacDonald, Chancey; Harrison, Hugo B.; Gardiner, Naomi P.; Jones, Geoffrey P.; Mills, Suzanne C. (2024) 'Strength of Sexual Selection and Sex Roles Vary between Social Groups in a Coral Reef Cardinalfish'. American Naturalist, 204 (3). [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Louw, Nora R.; McMillan, Matthew N.; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Daniell, James; Roberts, Eric M. (2024) 'Habitat partitioning in Moreton Bay bug species to inform fisheries management'. Fisheries Research, 273 . [DOI]
Developing protocols for in‐water morphometric measurements of cetaceans using stereo‐videogrammetry
2021
Hillcoat, Suzanne K.; Curnock, Matthew I.; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Birtles, R. Alastair (2021) 'Developing protocols for in‐water morphometric measurements of cetaceans using stereo‐videogrammetry'. Marine Mammal Science, 37 (1):45-63. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Hein, Margaux Y.; Beeden, Roger; Birtles, R. Alastair; Chase, Tory J.; Couture, Fanny; Haskin, Elouise; Marshall, Nadine; Ripple, Kayla; Terry, Lisa; Willis, Bette L.; Willis, Reanna; Gardiner, Naomi M.; (2020) 'Effects of coral restoration on fish communities: snapshots of long-term, multiregional responses and implications for practice'. Restoration Ecology, 28 (5):1158-1171. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Rueger, Theresa; Harrison, Hugo B.; Buston, Peter M.; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Berumen, Michael L.; Jones, Geoffrey P. (2020) 'Natal philopatry increases relatedness within groups of coral reef cardinalfish: Natal philopatry increases relatedness'. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological Sciences, 287 (1930). [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Coppock, Amy G.; González-Murcia, Saúl O.; Srinivasan, Maya; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Jones, Geoffrey P. (2020) 'Different responses of coral and rubble-dwelling coral reef damselfishes (Family: Pomacentridae) to chemosensory cues from coral reef microhabitats'. Marine Biology, 167 . [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Hein, Margaux Y.; Beeden, Roger; Birtles, Alastair; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Le Berre, Thomas; Levy, Jessica; Marshall, Nadine; Scott, Chad M.; Terry, Lisa; Willis, Bette L. (2020) 'Coral restoration effectiveness: multiregional snapshots of the long-term responses of coral assemblages to restoration'. Diversity, 12 (4). [DOI]
Hein, Margaux Y.; Birtles, Alastair; Willis, Bette L.; Gardiner, Naomi; Beeden, Roger; Marshall, Nadine A. (2019) 'Coral restoration: socio-ecological perspectives of benefits and limitations'. Biological Conservation, 229 :14-25. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Rueger, Theresa; Harrison, Hugo B.; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Berumen, Michael L.; Jones, Geoffrey P. (2019) 'Extra‐pair mating in a socially monogamous and paternal mouth‐brooding cardinalfish'. Molecular Ecology, 28 (10):2625-2635. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
The dynamics of coral reef benthic and reef fish communities in Batam and Natuna Islands, Indonesia
2018
Hadi, Tri A.; Tuti, Yosephine; Hadiyanto; Abrar, Muhammad; Suharti, Santi R.; Suharsono; Gardiner, Naomi M. (2018) 'The dynamics of coral reef benthic and reef fish communities in Batam and Natuna Islands, Indonesia'. Biodiversity, 19 (1-2):81-94. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Konovalov, Dmitry A.; Hillcoat, Suzanne; Williams, Genevieve; Birtles, R. Alastair; Gardiner, Naomi; Curnock, Matthew I. (2018) 'Individual minke whale recognition using deep learning convolutional neural networks'. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 6 (5):25-36. [DOI]
Rueger, Theresa; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Jones, Geoffrey P. (2018) 'Site fidelity facilitates pair formation in aggregations of coral reef cardinalfish'. Oecologia, 186 (2):425-434. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Coppock, Amy G.; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Jones, Geoffrey P. (2016) 'Olfactory responses of coral-reef fishes to coral degradation and crown-of-thorns (Acanthaster planci)'. Marine and Freshwater Research, 67 (5):605-611. [DOI]
Gardiner, N.M.; Jones, G.P. (2016) 'Habitat specialisation, site fidelity and sociality predict homing success in coral reef cardinalfish'. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 558 :81-96. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Rueger, T.; Gardiner, N.M.; Jones, G.P. (2016) 'Homing is not for everyone: displaced cardinalfish find a new place to live'. Journal of Fish Biology, 89 (4):2182-2188. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Rueger, Theresa; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Jones, Geoffrey P. (2016) 'Size matters: male and female mate choice leads to size-assortative pairing in a coral reef cardinalfish'. Behavioral Ecology, 27 (6):1585-1591. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Buck, Alexander C.E.; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Boström-Einarsson, Lisa (2016) 'Citric acid injections: an accessible and efficient method for controlling outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster cf. solaris'. Diversity, 8 (28):1-12. [DOI]
Coppock, Amy G.; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Jones, Geoffrey P. (2016) 'Sniffing out the competition? Juvenile coral reef damselfishes use chemical cues to distinguish the presence of conspecific and heterospecific aggregations'. Behavioural Processes, 125 :43-50. [DOI]
Jankowski, M.W.; Gardiner, N.R.; Jones, G.P. (2015) 'Depth and reef profile: effects on the distribution and abundance of coral reef fishes'. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 98 (5):1373-1386. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Rueger, Theresa; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Jones, Geoffrey P. (2014) 'Relationships between pair formation, site fidelity and sex in a coral reef cardinalfish'. Behavioural Processes, 107 :119-126. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Rummer, Jodie L.; Couturier, Christine S.; Stecyk, Jonathan A.W.; Gardiner, Naomi; Kinch, Jeff P.; Nilsson, Göran E.; Munday, Philip L. (2014) 'Life on the edge: thermal optima for aerobic scope of equatorial reef fishes are close to current day temperatures'. Global Change Biology, 20 (4):1055-1066. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Bowden, A.J.; Gardiner, N.M.; Couturier, C.S.; Stecyk, J.A.W; Nilsson, G.E.; Munday, P.L.; Rummer, J.L. (2014) 'Alterations in gill structure in tropical reef fishes as a result of elevated temperatures'. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part A: Molecular and Integrative Physiology, 175 :64-71. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Coppock, Amy G.; Gardiner, Naomi M.; Jones, Geoffrey P. (2013) 'Olfactory discrimination in juvenile coral reef fishes: response to conspecifics and corals'. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 443 :21-26. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Nicolet, K.J.; Hoogenboom, M.O.; Gardiner, N.M.; Pratchett, M.S.; Willis, B.L. (2013) 'The corallivorous invertebrate Drupella aids in transmission of brown band disease on the Great Barrier Reef'. Coral Reefs, 32 (2):585-595. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Counter-gradient variation in respiratory performance of coral reef fishes at elevated temperatures
2010
Gardiner, Naomi M.; Munday, Philip L.; Nilsson, Göran E. (2010) 'Counter-gradient variation in respiratory performance of coral reef fishes at elevated temperatures'. PLoS ONE, 5 (10):1-13. [DOI]
Gardiner, N.M.; Jones, G.P. (2010) 'Synergistic effects of habitat preference and gregarious behaviour on habitat use in coral reef cardinalfish'. Coral Reefs, 29 (4):845-856. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Gardiner, Naomi M.; Jones, Geoffrey P. (2005) 'Habitat specialisation and overlap in a guild of coral reef cardinalfishes (Apogonidae)'. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 305 :163-175. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Pratchett, Morgan; Hoey, Andrew; Coker, Darren; Gardiner, Naomi (2012) 12th International Coral Reef Symposium . In: Yellowlees, D.;Hughes, T.P eds. Interdependence between reef fishes and scleractinian corals Cairns, QLD, Australia,