College of Science & Engineering


Sophia Love

Sophia Love

Elle Robertson

Elle Robertson

Romain Vaucher

Romain Vaucher

Jenny Fisher

Jenny Fisher

Ambili Narayanan

Ambili Narayanan

Sarfaraz Ali

Sarfaraz Ali

Tom Lloyd

Tom Lloyd

Early Career Researcher Grant - Blue carbon markets: preventing or fuelling marine tenure insecurity?
Internal grant awarded by the Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture (CSTFA) at James Cook University to support my investigation of blue carbon markets, including where markets may enable tenure security, leading to improved stewardship of blue carbon ecosystems, food and livelihood security, poverty reduction, and social equity.
Marine sediment geochemical survey: Coastal waters of southeastern Brazil
This project involves comprehensive geochemical fingerprinting of sediments from a marine environment to trace the potential distribution of exogenous components from a tailings dam failure. JCU is leading the systematic multi-instrument (XRD, XRF, ICP-MS, MC-ICP-MS) geochemical and isotopic characterization of approximately 200 samples. This includes quantifying the mineralogy, major, trace and volatile element concentration analysis, coupled with high-precision O-Sr-Nd-Fe isotope composition analyses.
TERN FNQ OzFlux
TERN FNQ OzFlux sites are funded by the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network. TERN EP Robson Creek site - Rainforest in the Lamb Range on the Atherton Tablelands. TERN EP Cow Bay site - Daintree Rainforest.
AIMS@JCU Pilot Research Funding
Research Masters student Karl Jensen on feeding selectivity in herbivorous juvenile CoTS
David Yellowlees Excellence in Research Award 2022
Project: Molecular-based method for the quantification of in situ crown-of-thorns starfish settlement rates
Effective sampling of Acanthaster cf. solaris to provide early-warning of new and renewed outbreaks (Old ID 26779)
Peter Doll - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
01 Jun 2020 - 31 May 2022
This project aims to develop a holistic monitoring program that will not only help to deliver an early-warning syste, but will increase the viability of culling CoTS populations even during non-outbreak periods with the ultimate goal of reducing the frequency and severity of future outbreaks. Perhaps even more importantly, this project will deliver (for the first time) spatially and temporally explicit information about the structure and dynamics of crown-of-thorns starfish within the “initiation zone” and in the lead-up to a new population irruption, which is a critical knowledge gap that limits understanding of the initiation and causes of population outbreaks.
Pre-outbreak monitoring of the density, distribution and size-structure of crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS) in the Great Barrier Reef (Old ID 27501)
Peter Doll - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
01 Jan 2021 - 01 Jun 2024
This project will conduct annual field surveys (diver-based and eDNA) across reefs in the primary outbreak initiation region to reveal how the density, distribution and size-structure of COTS populations changes, providing field data to inform early warning and response in the lead up to the 2025 outbreak.
Quantifying predation rates on CoTS relative to fisheries management zones and corresponding differences in abundance of putative predators (Old ID 27504)
Peter Doll - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
01 Jan 2022 - 30 Jun 2024
The purpose of this research is to quantify rates of predation on CoTS at reefs within contrasting Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) management zones. More specifically, we will quantify predation and mortality rates for CoTS, as well as differences in the abundance and composition of potential predators, between reefs where fishing is permitted (Blue zones), restricted (Yellow zones) or effectively prohibited (Green zones). The focus of this project is unequivocally on relatively large and conspicuous post-settlement life stages of CoTS (e.g., sub-adults and adults) and the relatively large predators (mainly fishes) that might be consuming them.
In situ feeding rates of crown-of-thorns starfish and fate of prey corals (Old ID 27494)
Peter Doll - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
01 Jan 2022 - 30 Jun 2024
Accurate measurements of CoTS feeding rates are key in modelling ecological thresholds to inform CoTS management. This project aims to quantify feeding rates of CoTS in the field, to better resolve ecological impacts of CoTS on coral assemblages relative to the size and abundance of CoTS, as well as changes in prey availability and seasonal variation in temperature. This will significantly improve current models that estimate ecological thresholds used to inform surveillance (density of CoTS required to prevent further coral damage) and control (levels of culling required to ensure that coral growth outpaces CoTS feeding) activities in the GBR.
Spatiotemporal variation in settlement rates of crown-of-thorns starfish on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef: critical research to underpin understanding and management of impending population irruptions (Old ID 27784)
Peter Doll - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
24 Aug 2022 - 30 Jun 2023
The purpose of this research is to quantify spatiotemporal variation in settlement rates of crown-of-thorns starfish in the lead up to renewed population irruptions on the GBR. Attention will focus on reefs within the putative initiation area, though complementary sampling will also be conducted on reefs in the far northern GBR. Despite existing evidence that population irruptions in the far northern GBR (specifically, at reefs in the Cape Grenville region) can precede the emergence of population irruptions in the northern extent of the currently defined initiation area there has never been any attempt to measure and compare settlement rates of crown-of-thorns starfish over a broad cross-section of reefs in the northern GBR.
Reseracher: Nico Adams (Professor, Electronic Systems & IoT Engineering)
Reseracher: Tessa Mackie (Lecturer, Veterinary Pathology)
End Date: 01 Jan 2013
End Date: 01 Jan 2021
Reseracher: Ludwig Lopata (Professor, Personal Chair)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2022
Reseracher: Stephanie Baker (Senior Lecturer, Electronic Systems and Internet of Things Engineering)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2012
End Date: 01 Jan 2016
Reseracher: Wenxian Lin (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2016
Reseracher: Stephanie Baker (Senior Lecturer, Electronic Systems and Internet of Things Engineering)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2017
End Date: 01 Jan 2021
Reseracher: Wenxian Lin (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2006
End Date: 01 Jan 2009
Reseracher: Anne Kaufmann (Adjunct Research Fellow)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
End Date: 01 Jan 2024