Isabelle Ng

Current

21 May

Written By David Bellwood

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.