Prospective students

Our lab brings together a diverse and passionate team of marine ecologists

studying how coastal ecosystems, particularly kelp forests and other blue forests – respond to a rapidly changing ocean. We work across temperate and polar regions, with our “home ground” being the western Great Southern Reef, a natural laboratory for exploring the ecology, function, and resilience of marine forests. Our research spans climate-driven ecosystem shifts, carbon cycling, productivity, and nutrient dynamics, while also developing and testing innovative conservation and restoration tools, such as Green Gravel. We combine field studies, laboratory and aquarium experiments, biogeography, modelling, and genomics to understand both the mechanisms driving ecosystem change and the solutions needed to sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services. Through interdisciplinary collaborations and large-scale international projects, our work aims to link local ecological processes with global environmental challenges, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient ocean future.​​​​