Our Team.
Dr. Nathan Waltham
Senior Research Scientist
Nathan's focus is on the impacts of coastal urban development, integrated catchment management, wetland restoration and Indigenous environmental training.
Dr. Adam Barnett
Senior Research Scientist
Adam's research interests include the ecology and conservation of chondrichthyans (sharks, batoids and chimaeras), teleosts and sea turtles.
Dr. Katya Abrantes
Senior Research Scientist
Katya's area of focus is aquatic ecology, specialising in rivers and estuaries of Australia, East Africa and the Pacific Islands.
Dr. Carlo Mattone
Research Scientist
Carlo is a coastal and estuarine ecologist with expertise in studying and assessing water quality.
Dr. Michael Bradley
Research Scientist
Michael has a focus on how seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, reefs, estuaries and wetlands underpin fish populations, fisheries and human communities.
Caitlin Lennard
Research Assistant/Spatial & Data Analyst
Caitlin is the research assistant for the lab and Marine Data Technology Hub. She's interested in the use of technology in coastal & climate science, with a focus on fisheries and coastal
management & revegetation.
Kevin Crook
Research Scientist
Kevin is assessing the functional roles of rays in sandflat ecosystems.
Dr. Nicolas Lubitz
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Nico is working on habitat associations of elasmobranch and teleost in the Lucinda sandflats, in addition to megafauna tracking across east coast Australia.
Ajay Venkataraman
PhD Candidate
Ajay's research interests broadly involve nearshore fish habitats. He is currently completing his PhD, which focuses on context-dependent factors that drive nursery habitat value in tropical snapper specs.
Bhavnah Komul Kalidin
PhD Candidate
Bhavnah is a multidisciplinary scientist with expertise in marine ecology, environmental monitoring, policy translation, and research coordination. Her PhD is focused on marine biosecurity and invasive species management in Small Island Developing States, combining social science and marine research.
Sara Winter
PhD Candidate
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Paulina Okpei
PhD Candidate
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Lab Alumni
Dr Sophie Walker
PhD Candidate
Sophie completed her research in 2025, focusing on habitat complexity and connectivity in tropical estuarine ecosystems. She has an interest in the ways drones are used to map and monitor the environment.
Max Hirschfeld
PhD Candidate
Max is interested in marine animals and has participated in previous research projects in the Galapagos Islands.
Cecile Vulliet
PhD Candidate
Cecile is conducting research into saltmarsh connectivity in tropical seascapes.
Cesar Herrera
PhD Candidate
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Emma Rooks
PhD Candidate
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Dr. Jaelen Myers
PhD Candidate
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