Meet our Research Students

Thesis title: Unravelling movement patterns and use of habitat of the giant mud crab (Scylla serrata) in the East Coast of Queensland.

Supervisor: Associate Professor Nicole Flint

William Dantas Charles has an undergraduate degree in biology, a postgraduate degree in Environmental Risk Analysis, and a Master's degree in Fisheries Resources from the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Brazil. His thesis dealt with the interactions between killer whales, false killer whales and pelagic longline fisheries in the tropical Atlantic Ocean.

Throughout a career spanning 15 years in Environmental Science, William has worked on several different projects and consultancies. He has acquired experience in population dynamics of fisheries stocks; the socioeconomic impact of small-scale fisheries; environmental impact assessment; water quality monitoring; planning, management, and economic evaluation of marine protected areas; and as an onboard observer in pelagic longline tuna and swordfish fisheries.

Currently, he is a CQUniversity PhD student in the Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre (CMERC), based at the Gladstone Marina campus. His PhD project will address the movement ecology and habitat use of the Giant Mud Crab on the east coast of Queensland.

Thesis title: Sustainable harvesting for the rising demand on wild seaweed populations of Asparagopsis taxiformis

Supervisor: Professor Emma Jackson

Associate Supervisors: Dr Angela Capper

External Supervisors: Professor Rob Kinley (FutureFeed) and Dr Adam Smith (Reef Ecologic)

Najeen holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Science in Marine Science (Marine Biology) from the University of the Philippines. She has worked on several research projects in the Philippines on the ecology and physiology of seaweeds for culture technology and management, as well as biodiversity of marine macrophytes. She is currently a PhD student at CQUniversity Gladstone Marina Campus and is working on the red sea plume (Asparagopsis taxiformis), which is attracting interest worldwide for its promising potential in curbing methane emissions as a cattle feed supplement. Her project focuses on the ecology, phenology, and population dynamics of this red seaweed to help inform the development of sustainable harvesting practices of wild stocks.

Her study will also investigate the impacts of different harvesting techniques in terms of timing and methods. The project is co-funded by CQUniversity and FutureFeed (industry partner) through the CQUniversity Elevate Scholarship. This project is also in partnership with  Reef Ecologic and the Woppaburra TUMRA Aboriginal Corporation.

Thesis title: Assessing the Value of Improved Connectivity in Subtropical Estuarine Fish Habitats

Supervisor: Associate Professor Nicole Flint

Christopher Lowe commenced an MSc in September 2021 investigating how fish utilise different aspects of intertidal habitats alongside principal research fellow Associate Professor Nicole Flint. His work focuses on how temporal cycles influence how and when fish can inhabit these temporally available habitats. Christopher will also be developing novel methods to monitor predation within intertidal habitats. Prior to his work at CQU, Christopher investigated the terrestrial microhabitat selection of amphibious sea snakes. Christopher holds a Bachelor of Science (Animal Behaviour) from Flinders University, Australia, and an Bachelor of Science (One Year Honours) from the University of South Australia, Australia.

Thesis title: Understanding local adaptation and trait-based selection for seagrass restoration success

Supervisor: Professor Emma Jackson

In a collaboration between Deakin University and the University Australia’s Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre (CMERC), Elizabeth is examining local adaptations of seagrass from differing light environments, in sub-tropical Queensland. Focusing on  Zostera muelleri, Elizabeth’s research aims to enhance the understanding on the importance of trait-based selection to promote resilience and persistence in restored seagrass meadows. Over the past five years Elizabeth, has worked on seagrass within Queensland’s largest multicommodity port, Port Curtis, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. She has been involved in a number of projects, mainly related to seagrass seed and transplantation based restoration methods. Now she hopes to understand the importance of considering seagrass local adaptations to improve restoration success.

Thesis title: Investigating the contribution of groundwater to surface waters and riparian vegetation in a subtropical river catchment

Supervisor: Associate Professor Nicole Flint

Associate Supervisor: Dr Adam Rose

Rachel Bryan commenced a Masters by research in September 2021 investigating groundwater contribution to surface waters in the upper Boyne River, above Awoonga Dam, and adjacent riparian vegetation. This project is being conducted in collaboration with the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water in Bundaberg and is also supported through the 2022 Fitzroy Partnership for River Health HeART of the Basin Scholarship. Prior to commencing her research higher degree Rachel worked for over 14 years in natural resource management overseeing a range of environmental projects. Rachel holds Bachelor of Science (Aquatic Resource Management) with Distinction and Bachelor of Applied Sciences from CQUniversity.

Thesis title: Working with Nature Investigations for Seawall Designs in the Port of Gladstone

Supervisor: Professor Emma Jackson Dr Chris Aiken, Gordon Dwane (GPC)

In partnership with Gladstone Ports Corporation, Rory is investigating methods for incorporating habitat creation into coastal zone development works. Construction in the marine environment, such as seawalls and breakwaters, displaces key coastal habitats and disrupts ecological processes. Rory’s research will focus on trails for a ‘living seawall’ design in the Port of Gladstone, examining practical, cost-effective measures to restore impacted habitats and reestablish ecosystem services. Rory holds a Master of Science from James Cook University, and a BA Double Honours degree from the University of Manchester, in the United Kingdom.

Microalgal Bloom Dynamics in Aquaculture.

Thesis Title: Methodology and protocols for the cultivation and propagation of Zostera muelleri for restoration.

Thesis Title: The economic value of naure-based solutions for creating habitat on seawalls.

Thesis Title: The characterization of post-capture stress in Ranina ranina: Identifying handling and transport techniques that increase post-capture survivorship.

A training approach to increase food safety knowledge of Government employees - A Seafood Case Study.

Thesis Title: Developing Indexes for Agricultural Water Quality: Evaluating an Australian Case Study

Thesis title: Phytohormones in Asparagopsis: Linking Reproduction, Stress Resilience, and Bromoform Biosynthesis

Supervisor:  Dr. Manoj Kumar, Prof. Emma Jackson, Dr. Eddie Custovic, Dr. Zuzana Benedikty, Dr. Scott Cummins

Jasmine V. Rajai is a PhD candidate at CQUniversity’s Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre (CMERC) and a recipient of the Elevate Scholarship, funded by Scientific Instruments Australia and CQUniversity.

Her research investigates how environmental stress and plant hormone signalling influence reproduction in Asparagopsis taxiformis, a seaweed species used to reduce methane emissions from livestock. The project aims to improve understanding of how this species responds to changing conditions, supporting the development of climate-resilient cultivation systems and more reliable seaweed supply chains.

Jasmine holds a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from St. Xavier’s College, India, and a Bachelor’s degree from Sardar Patel University. She has previously worked in seaweed research and cultivation at CSIR-CSMCRI, India, contributing to culture development, seed banking, and studies on seaweed biochemistry and metabolism. Her expertise includes molecular biology, biochemical analysis, metabolomics, and advanced laboratory techniques, alongside practical experience in seaweed culturing.

Thesis title:  Investigating macroalgal dynamics to enhance inshore coral restoration

Supervisor: Dr. Manoj Kumar, Prof. Emma Jackson, Dr. Megan Ellis, Dr. Hadley England, Dr. Scott Cummins

David Jen is a PhD candidate at CQUniversity’s Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre (CMERC) in Gladstone, supported by an Elevate Scholarship funded by Gladstone Ports Corporation and CQUniversity.

His research focuses on coral reef resilience, examining how environmental and biological stressors influence interactions between corals and macroalgae. By better understanding these dynamics under conditions such as thermal stress, David’s work aims to identify opportunities to reduce reef stress and improve coral restoration outcomes.

David has conducted reef research around the world, including thermal stress experiments on corals in Bermuda and studies in French Polynesia investigating algal responses and herbivorous fish behaviour following storm disturbances. He has also analysed historic Great Barrier Reef coral core data to assess links between coral growth and ocean temperature.

His research combines ecophysiology, phenotyping, omics approaches and microbial community analysis to better understand changing reef ecosystems and help guide effective coral restoration strategies.