David Bellwood

Please note: we are not currently accepting applications for postgraduate students.

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

Please note: we are not currently accepting applications for postgraduate students.

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.

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

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