Our Team

Dr Jodie Rummer is an Professor of Marine Biology in the College of Science and Engineering at James Cook University and formally a researcher in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. She was the 2015-2016 recipient of the highly prestigious UNESCO-L'Oréal Women in Science Fellowship for Australia and New Zealand, an Australian Research Council (ARC) Super Scientist (2011-2014), an ARC Early Career Discovery Fellow (2015-2017), named one of Australia's top five scientists under 40 (2016), and Queensland's (Australia) Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year (2019). Dr Rummer is a leading authority on the evolution of oxygen transport in fish and how fish maintain performance during stress. Her research, combines ecology, evolution, and physiology to address issues important to conservation, such as the effects of climate change and other human-caused problems on coral reef fishes, sharks, and rays and their potential for adaptation. Dr Rummer founded the Physioshark Project and has been leading this research programme and the students, staff, and volunteers involved since 2013.

In the past 10 years, Dr Mourier has become one of France's leading shark scientists. His research has focused on the ecology and conservation of marine predators, primarily sharks. He has been studying the behavioural, trophic, and movement ecology as well as and conservation biology of sharks using multiple advanced and non-invasive approaches including underwater observations, biologging, genetics, stable isotope analyses, and network theory. Most of his first studies, including his PhD research, were conducted in the remote and healthy coral reefs of French Polynesia (Pacific Ocean) on blacktip reef sharks. His research on juvenile reef sharks in Moorea served as a baseline for project PhysioShark. He is also involved in a citizen science program on elasmobranch (Shark Observatory of French Polynesia; ORP) since 2011. Dr Mourier has now published over 40 research papers in the field of behavioural ecology and shark science. These have generated nearly 1,000 citations (Google Scholar), and he has an overall H-Index of 18. This has established him as one of the leading early-career scientists in his field.

Dr. Serge Planes, Research Director at the CNRS, has been involved in the study of population genetics of marine fish in the Pacific since the beginning of his career that started with his PhD in 1989. Over the past 30 years, he has published about 250 papers in international journals addressing population genetics of coral reefs, ecology, marine protected areas, and recruitment of marine fishes. With about 14,000 citations, his work has been highly recognized while demonstrating that coral reef fish populations are much more limited in space than was generally believed and that self-recruitment is significant drive. This view has major implications for conservation planning. Such international recognition led Dr Planes to being invited to participate as a member of the Australian Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and he was recently appointed as adjunct professor at Australian Institute or Marine Science. After having coordinated several European projects, numerous national projects, and the last Tara Pacific expedition, Dr Planes is presently directing the LABEX "CORAIL" awarded in 2011 for 10 years and renewed in 2019 for another 5 years, this being the major structural framework for research on coral reef ecology in France.

Dr Bridie Allan is a researcher at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Her research explores how environmental changes can alter the mechanisms underlying population processes and how these changes scale to community dynamics. To do this, she uses field collections, observations and experiments in conjunction with laboratory experiments to investigate a wide range of environmental impacts that influence the physiology, behaviour and survival of fish. Dr Allan's field sites span both tropical, temperate and polar regions.

Originally from New York, Ian completed his B.Sc. at the University of Michigan, and his M.Sc. at the University of Illinois under the supervision of Dr. Cory Suski. For his Master's thesis, he investigated the daily energy requirements of juvenile lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) in relation to the energetic costs of fishing capture. For his PhD, he investigated the capacity for juvenile blacktip (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and lemon sharks (N. acutidens) to balance processes related to energy expenditure and acquisition while managing stressors across a range of environmental conditions in nursery habitats around Moorea, French Polynesia. In addition to Dr. Rummer, he is supervised by Dr. Colin Simpfendorfer. Ian completed his Ph.D. as a co-tutelle at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (James Cook University) and the Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement (École Pratique des Hautes Études). He investigated the ecophysiology of global change for tropical sharks by testing hypotheses predicting species' vulnerability to global change phenomena, including ocean warming, acidification, and deoxygenation. Ian has been involved in shark research since 2008. For his research, Ian utilises a range of techniques belonging to the "Conservation Physiology Toolbox" including respirometry and bio-logging. Before joining Physioshark in 2016, Ian's previous research focused on understanding the energetic costs, physiological stress, and behavioural responses of sharks to longline capture, including the implementation of bycatch devices.

Gail's research focuses on the understanding the impact of anthropogenic activities on coastal fish physiology with an emphasis on sharks and skates. She is interested in the intersections of basic physiology, ecology, and management, and seeks to further our understanding of multi-stressor impacts on ecologically important (yet understudied) species. Gail received the prestigious Thomas Watson Fellowship, which allowed her to spend a year traveling the world and exploring different issues related to marine conservation, as well as the highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which funded her graduate degree.

Originally from New York, Carolyn completed her BS in Marine Science at the University of New England in Maine. Her undergraduate honor's thesis focused on determining sex and maturity of Atlantic sturgeon using non-lethal techniques. Additionally during this time, she collaborated with the University of Miami to study the reproductive biology of tiger sharks at an aggregation site in the Bahamas. These projects piqued her interest in fish physiology. Carolyn is a co-tutelle PhD student at the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University (JCU). She spent the first half of her PhD working with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium in Boston studying the effects of temperature on development and physiological performance of epaulette shark embryos and hatchlings. She was recently awarded a graduate research fellowship through the American Australian Association to continue her research at JCU assessing the impacts of thermal stress on reproductive success in adult epaulette sharks.

Ornella is a Swiss marine biologist that has been studying shark ecology for the past eleven years. She is particularly interested in the behavioural and trophic ecology of sharks, as well as the conservation of coastal juvenile shark populations. Ornella is experienced in using various non-invasive methods such as stable isotope analyses, DNA barcoding, catch and release practices, and underwater observations. Ornella first got involved into marine science during her internship at the renowned <a href="https://www.biminisharklab.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-blue-600 hover:text-blue-800">Bimini Biological Field Station</a> (BBFS) in 2009. Fascinated by this experience, she returned to the station in early 2011 to investigate the diet of juvenile lemon sharks for her Master thesis. Following multiple jobs as a research assistant in the US, Seychelles, and French Polynesia, Ornella started her PhD at the French University EPHE in collaboration with the <a href="https://saveourseas.com/sosf-darros-research-centre/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-blue-600 hover:text-blue-800">Save Our Seas Foundation - D'Arros</a> Research Centre (SOSF - DRC), the <a href="http://www.criobe.pf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-blue-600 hover:text-blue-800">CRIOBE</a> and the Physioshark research programme. As part of her PhD, Ornella investigated the coexistence of two juvenile reef shark species and the possible effects of competition on the species' ecological niches. After obtaining her Ph.D. in summer 2020, Ornella continues to investigate sharks' trophic ecology, as well as anthropogenic impacts on the ecology and physiology of sharks. In addition, Ornella raises awareness of sharks by sharing her knowledge through public presentations, media engagements, as a scientific expedition leader for the Sail and Explore Association, and as a mentor and consultant for undergrad students. To learn more about Ornella's versatile work, <a href="https://www.ornellaweideli.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-blue-600 hover:text-blue-800">visit her website</a>.

José is a PhD student investigating the ecological importance of nursery grounds to shark populations. His research is focused in the interplay between the habitat configuration and the mechanisms newborn sharks employ to deal with predation. His research tries to understand how the structural complexity of habitats and the environmental conditions are related to sharks' refuge availability, and how the anti-predator strategies of newborn sharks are affected by the habitat they inhabit. His previous study related to the ecology of shark nursery grounds investigated the effect of kelp forest complexity in nursery habitat selection in egg laying sharks.

Rachel completed her Ph.D. at the University of Miami's Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy / Shark Research and Conservation Program. She uses an interdisciplinary approach to study shark / climate / human interactions in South Florida, namely through ecophysiological indicators of risk in sharks, and socio-ecological systems analysis of shark fisheries.

Originally from Germany, Dr. Illing earned his diploma (2009) at the University of Hamburg conducting eco-morphological research on spawning aggregations of a temperate clupeid fish species. His doctoral studies (2016) focused on how environmental stressors affect the growth, condition and survival of Atlantic herring offspring at the University of Hamburg, working in parallel at a federal German research institute developing a novel hyperbaric swimming flume for testing fish species during extended oceanic spawning migrations. Currently in the Rummer lab, he investigates the effects of environmental stressors on coral reef fish larvae. His research is partially funded by the Company of Biologists.

Originally from Switzerland, Sybille completed her MSc at JCU with Drs Jodie Rummer & Amelia Wenger. Her PhD research at JCU, supervised by Dr Rummer and co-supervised by Drs Andy Hoey & Amelia Wenger, investigates how poor water quality (e.g., increasing levels of suspended sediments) affects fish metabolic performance, the consequences for activities such as swimming, and potential impacts on fish community structure. Her work primarily focuses on fish larvae and juveniles, combining lab-based and field experiments.

Tiffany earned her BSc in Marine Biology from the University of West Florida, spending summers in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia studying crab-eating frogs, mudskipper fishes, and sea snakes. After completing her MSc at JCU researching fish microhabitat use in coral reefs and mangrove ecosystems, she began her PhD under the supervision of Drs. Rummer, Hoey, and Johansen, expanding upon her interests in microhabitat use.

Eva is based at the Centre de Recherche Insulaire et Observatoire de l'Environnement (CRIOBE) in Papetoai, Moorea, Polynésie française.

Originally from Japan, but grew up in France where they completed their MSc (Hons) at Toulouse, Paul Sabatier University, specializing in animal behavior, cognition and neurosciences. During this year, they studied the sensory capacity of the clownfish toward different water cues and used histological protocols to measure different parts of brain involved in recognition. They have since been employed by CRIOBE in Moorea, French Polynesia as a research assistant (both field and laboratory) working on many subjects including: PCC (post-larvae capture and culture, catching fish by crest net and by light-trap), fish behaviour, coral larvae behaviour, annual monitoring of juveniles lemon and black tip reef shark populations, scientific diving to record lemon shark behaviour, annual monitoring of glass eel population, etc. They have also been working with Dr. Rummer on her ongoing project -- #physioshark -- as a field and laboratory assistant focusing on blood sampling and analyses.

Dr. McLeod is currently employed as a Senior Research Scientist at TropWATER, James Cook University.

Originally from Massachusetts, Monica earned her BS in Marine Science from the University of New England in Maine. Her senior research focused on ecosystem based modeling to determine carrying capacity of bivalve aquaculture. She has been interested in the impacts climate change has on marine ecosystems, and will be working with Dr. Rummer to determine how these impacts will effect the future of reef fish in coral reef systems.

Originally from the Sunshine Coast, Leteisha completed her undergraduate degree at JCU. Since late 2015, she has been an intern in Dr. Jodie Rummer's lab, where she has been working closely with Sybille Hess (PhD candidate) investigating how suspended sediments can impair oxygen uptake in coral reef fishes. She is now starting her Master's research with Drs. Jodie Rummer and Naomi Gardiner, specifically examining the gills of coral reef fishes in hopes of understanding the changes they make when they experience increased temperatures during a coral bleaching event.

My interests are in heavy metal accumulation in fish that are ecologically and commercially important. My research spans the North Queensland Coast and inland parts of the Great Barrier Reef. I am co-supervised by Dr. Rummer and Dr. Angela Capper.

Originally from the USA, Lauren completed her undergraduate studies in marine science at Boston University before moving to Glasgow, Scotland for a Master of Research degree. For her PhD at JCU, she is studying the potential impacts of climate change on schooling behaviour in coral reef fish.

Floriaan followed an Erasmus Mundus in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at the universities of Ghent (Belgium), Algarve (Portugal) and Oviedo (Spain), finishing with highest distinction. He is currently in the process of publishing his thesis "The ecological and genetic characterisation of an invasive mussel (Xenostrobus securis) in Northern Spain". He was also privileged to present this topic on the YOUMARES 2015 conference in Bremen (Germany). Now traveling to gain more experience and looking into possible PhD positions, he is truly passionate about shark research and conservation, which led him to the Rummer lab, feeding the amazing epaulette sharks.

Dennis earned his Honours (1st class) at James Cook University under the supervision of Dr Jodie Rummer, Prof. Philip Munday, Prof. Colin Simpfendorfer, and Dr Michelle Heupel where he focused on understanding how near future ocean acidification conditions could affect a benthic coral reef associated shark, the epaulette shark. His research has been published in Conservation Physiology ("A product of its environment: the epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) exhibits physiological tolerance to elevated environmental CO2") and ICES Journal of Marine Science ("Foraging behaviour of the epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) is not affected by elevated CO2"). He started his PhD in March 2016 with Dr. Charlie Huveneers and the Southern Shark Ecology Group at Flinders University in Adelaide.

Alyssa earned her BSc in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and her MSc in Marine Biology from James Cook University where she focused on gill remodelling in tropical reef fish as a result of elevated temperatures. Her research was published in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A ("Alterations in gill structure in tropical reef fishes as a result of elevated temperatures"). She is currently working on her PhD at the University of Tasmania studying the physiological consequences of amoebic gill disease in Atlantic salmon with Prof. Peter Frappell, Dr Andrea Morash, and Dr Sarah Andrewartha.

Adam earned his BSc in general biology from the University of Southern Denmark, finishing with a research project investigating Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) click differentiation. He later enrolled as a Cand. Scient. at the University of Copenhagen, studying marine biology. His research at James Cook University focused on the link between the optimal temperature for aerobic performance in coral reef fishes and their temperature preference.

Originally from Connecticut, Daniel earned his BSc degree from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 2012. His research interests include ecology, physiology, and conservation of elasmobranchs and other highly exploited marine fishes. For his Master's research, he investigated the developmental & metabolic responses of epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) under environmental conditions associated with climate change. He is currently employed as a Reef Resilience Coordinator for the coral reef conservation program at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Originally from Washington D.C., Ian studied Biology at Oberlin College in Ohio. At JCU, he assisted with epaulette shark research and husbandry in the Rummer Lab. His previous experiences include assisting with research on deep reef fauna at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (D.R.O.P. Project, Dr. Carole Baldwin) and conducting estuarine fish research at Old Woman Creek N.E.R.R. (Dr. Kristin Arend).

Stine earned her BSc in Biology with a Minor in Ecology and Physiology from the University of Southern Denmark. She decided to do part of her Masters degree at James Cook University where she discovered her interest in Fisheries Science and Fish Physiology. Her research interests involve sharks and how they cope with post-release stress.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Katya was in her third year studying Biology and Geology at Macalester College in Minnesota. Previous and ongoing experience includes researching the evolutionary history and biogeography of a genus of leaf-litter arachnids from the Wet Tropics at Macalester College. She did a study abroad program in Australia through the School for International Training, and while with the Rummer Lab, she assisted with the mudskipper research.

Originally from New Jersey, USA, Julia worked towards a BSc in Environmental Science at Brown University in Rhode Island. Her interest in marine biology & conservation stemmed largely from previous work at the Cape Eleuthera Institute in the Bahamas during her gap year where she was involved with a shark physiology study investigating the consequences of commercial fishing practices. At JCU, she worked with Connor on a study determining the metabolic costs of elevated temperatures in neonate epaulette sharks.

Martijn earned his bachelors degree in applied science (majoring in fisheries) from University of Tasmania. His passion led him to Townsville to study tropical fish and fisheries. For his MSc in Marine Tropical Biology and Ecology, he explored the development of a tropical shark under future climate change conditions. He is currently employed by the Department of Primary Industries NSW Fisheries Resources Department.

Andrew earned his BA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado. Then, he worked as a SCUBA instructor for several years in Hawaii. His passion for tropical marine fauna brought him to James Cook University where he focused his interests on anthropogenic effects on coral reef-associated organisms. For his MSc, he examined the physiological consequences of long-term exposure to high carbon dioxide levels in reef fishes.

Originally from California, Connor earned his BSc in Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He earned his MSc (Distinction) at JCU with the Rummer Lab where he explored the impact of elevated temperatures on movement, behaviour, and growth in juvenile epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium ocellatum). His research interests mainly relate to the impact climate change is having on marine organisms, especially elasmobranchs. He also has an ongoing collaboration with Dr Marianne Porter and her FAB Lab at Florida Atlantic University. His recent paper "Developing in warm water: Irregular colouration and patterns of a neonate elasmobranch" was published in Marine Biodiversity with Dr. Johann Mourier and Dr. Jodie Rummer.

Originally from Denmark where he earned his Bachelor's degree at Copenhagen University studying fish ecophysiology. He moved to Australia in 2005 where he earned his Master of Science (2007) and PhD (2013), both at James Cook University. He is interested in how commercially or ecologically important reef fishes tolerate adverse or extreme environmental conditions, and his specialities are whole organism performance metrics, e.g. energetics of swimming and behaviour. After finishing a post-doc at the University of Florida in the Whitney Lab, he is now based at the University of Texas at Austin working on oil spill impacts on commercially fished species.

Originally from Adelaide, South Australia, Giverny completed her BSc (Hons) at Flinders University. During her honours she worked on fisheries related projects and subsequently took on a position as a research assistant at the South Australian Research and Development Institute. In 2012 she moved to Townsville to start her PhD at James Cook University. This research concentrated on the effects of climate change relevant increases in temperature on coral reef fish from low-latitudes. She utilised a wide range of physiological measures including metabolic performance, enzyme activity, tissue histology and critical thermal limits to understand the potential for developmental and trans-generational acclimation of reef fish to environmental stressors. Outside of her research she is interested in science communication and outreach, volunteering for various programs teaching science primarily to indigenous students in remote communities. She is also a councillor for the Australian Coral Reef Society.

Originally from south of France, Manon was doing a master of science (MSc) at EPHE University (Biodiversity and Environmental Management). During her previous internship she investigated demographics and behaviour in terrestrial species (e.g., birds and reptiles). She worked in Moorea at CRIOBE with Dr Jodie Rummer and Dr Serge Planes to determine the effect of climate change (e.g., elevated CO2 and temperature) on the physiology of juvenile black tip reef sharks.

Laura is currently pursuing an Undergraduate Degree in Science, majoring in Marine Biology at JCU. She joined the lab in early 2024 as a husbandry volunteer, took on the role of assistant lab manager in June 2024, and is now supporting the team as the lab manager. Her primary interests focus on science communication as well as social science within shark conservation.

Kylie is a former master's student whose research investigated how environmental enrichment affected the cognition of captive brownbanded bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium punctatum). Her work is a collaboration between the Rummer Lab and Dr. Culum Brown and PhD Candidate Anabell Klinke at Macquarie University. This project was the first to use a judgment bias test on an elasmobranch, and she hopes to build off this research to further explore elasmobranch cognition and connect it to the physiological underpinnings and greater ecological importance of animal cognition.

Courtney Burns is a Brataualung women from the Guanikurnai nation in Victoria, Australia. Courtney is deeply passionate about ocean Country health and an advocate for the use of diverse knowledge for shark conservation. Courtney's goal as an early career researcher is to be able to change the way the world sees sharks, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and priorities at the forefront of this research. Her research with the Physioshark project focus' on the body condition of neonate blacktip reef sharks (C. melanopterus), in Mo'orea, French Polynesia.

Shamil is joint PhD student at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and James Cook University (Australia). He is an experimental physiologist with a particular interest in the stress physiology of elasmobranch fishes. Shamil's main interests lay in applying a comparative physiological approach to conservation by studying the (chronic phase of the) stress response in sharks from a cellular and molecular level (e.g., blood chemistry, energy balance) up to the whole-organism level (e.g., aerobic performance, behaviour). The aim of his PhD research is to find reliable biomarkers for stress that can be applied in the wild to (1) identify which elasmobranch species are more vulnerable to human and environmental stressors, (2) which populations experience most human and environmental stressors, and (3) to quantify chronic stress experienced by captive sharks to inform best husbandry practices in zoos and aquaria.

Carmen Dobszewicz is a former member of the RummerLab, having completed her Master of Marine Biology (MMB) degree in November of 2024. Her research project investigated the hypoxia tolerance of early juvenile epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) under warming scenarios. This project incorporated techniques including respirometry and blood sampling to determine the physiological response to hypoxic and thermal stress in early ontogenies of this species and whether these tolerances compared to their adult counterparts. She also accompanied Dr. Rummer to Mo'orea, French Polynesia as a teaching assistant for the first Shark Conservation and Physiology field course run through PhysioShark, assisting with the conduction of field work at blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and sicklefin lemon shark (Negaprion acutidens) nurseries. Carmen is continuing the further her studies, incorporating physiology and social sciences, at the University of Sydney with the continued support of Dr. Jodie Rummer and her other supervisors at the University of Sydney including Dr. Michele Barnes and Dr. Christopher Pepin-Neff.

Sophia Emmons is a PhD Candidate and cotutelle student with James Cook University and the University of South Florida, co-supervised by Dr. Jodie Rummer (JCU), Dr. Brad Seibel (USF), and Dr. Colin Simpfendorfer. Her research explores the impact of individual and cumulative climate stressors on the physiology of coastal elasmobranchs. Specifically, Sophia is interested in the impacts of deoxygenation and how low oxygen environments impacts the metabolic performance of coastal and estuarine species. Her current research is on the compounding effects of temperature and low oxygen on the oxygen supply capacity and critical oxygen limits of the epaulette shark. Sophia is a proud recipient of the American Australian Association Graduate Fund (2024), the USF Graduate Student Success Fellowship (2022), and the JCU Post-Graduate Research Scholarship (2022).

Joel Gayford is a PhD Candidate in the College of Science and Engineering at James Cook University, founder of the Shark Measurements Research Group, and graduate of the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. Joel has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications to date, on topics ranging from ecomorphology to palaeobiology, biodiversity ecosystem function relationships, marine pollution, and behavioural ecology. Joel's research interests broadly lie in functional morphology (with a focus on cartilaginous fishes), including morphological evolution, phylogenetic comparative methods, behavioural ecology and biomechanics. Joel's PhD project focusses on the evolution of body size and scaling in sharks and their relatives, aiming to uncover how, when, and why chondrichthyans achieved their impressive ecomorphological diversity.

Aaron is currently a PhD candidate within the Rummer Lab at James Cook University within the College of Science and Engineering. He comes from an eclectic background encompassing sports medicine, exercise physiology, functional morphology, aquarium engineering, fisheries biology, invasive species biology, and visual and energetic physiology of fishes. His current research within the Rummer Lab focuses on examining the genetic underpinnings of physiological and biomechanical performance within latitudinally and genetically distinct populations of epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) in response to various ocean warming scenarios. Aaron also works part-time as a lab facilities technician at the Marine and Aquaculture facilities unit at JCU to help maintain life support systems for the Rummer Lab's research animals.

Luca Hoffecker is a marine biologist and oceanographer from Vancouver, Canada. He studied biology and oceanography at the University of British Columbia with a specialization in marine mammals. Luca graduated from James Cook University in 2024 with a master's in marine biology. He was the acting lab manager of the Rummer Lab, as well as the team manager of Physioshark from 2023 to 2024. In 2022, Luca co-founded The FINstitue, a non-profit based around shark conservation and education.

Isaac Marshall was an undergraduate student who studied a Bachelor of Advanced Science majoring in marine biology at James Cook University. Isaac spent a little over a year as a volunteer in the RummerLab, assisting and learning from the Master's and PhD students and their projects. The projects focus on understanding the capacity for epaulette sharks in particular to physiologically adapt to environmental stressors to make contributions to conservation of aquatic ecosystems. In addition to assisting other researchers in the RummerLab, Isaac conducted his own research into the role of various environmental factors and physiological traits during captive adult epaulette shark oogenesis on the outcome of eggs produced. Additionally, he furthered previous studies into the biological and behavioural processes of the epaulette shark, exploring the role that the presence or absence of light plays during embryonic development. Isaac was one of 10 students that were granted a New Columbo Plan scholarship to join Dr Jodie Rummer in Mo'orea, French Polynesia for a shark conservation physiology field subject to become immersed in her Physioshark Project research programme and to learn from her extraordinary network of researchers, educators, and conservationists working on and alongside it.

Chelsea joined the Rummer Lab in the second year of her undergraduate degree at James Cook University, where she was completing a BSc in Marine Biology. Chelsea started out as a volunteer but quickly transitioned into an undergraduate researcher when an opportunity arose to explore the embryonic development of epaulette sharks. She had previous experience caring for and hatching epaulette sharks at an aquarium, so used these skills to close the life cycle of the sharks that were being housed in the lab at the time by creating a successful breeding program. Chelsea continued researching embryonic development by exploring the effect light and photoperiod had on growth, circadian rhythm and hatching success for her third-year special topic research subject.

Valentino Pallini is a current 3rd Year undergraduate student enrolled at James Cook University, as well as a epaulette shark/ anemonefish husbandry volunteer.

Carmen studies fish and invertebrates in marine and coastal environments. Her lab and field research in the coastal United States, Caribbean, and Central America looked at an array of critters and landscapes, including sharks and rays along temperate coastlines, bony fishes in estuaries, epifaunal invertebrates on intertidal seagrass, and reefs (both oyster and coral) defining the benthos. During her master's degree, Carmen worked with the Physioshark lab to collect and maintain epaulette sharks from the Great Barrier Reef to support research investigating the physiological implications of warming waters. She also worked with Jodie independently to produce a research article presenting a measure of physical stress on reef fishes during and after the 2016 GBR bleaching event (paper in prep).

Originally from Florida, Katie Seidel earned her BSc in Marine Biology from the University of South Florida. Katie is currently a Master's student conducting her research thesis on the effects of geomorphology on the spatial distribution of juvenile blacktip reef and sicklefin lemon sharks around the island of Moorea, French Polynesia under the supervision of Dr. Jodie Rummer. Passionate about Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Katie's research interest focuses on the impacts of climate change on the ecology and spatial distribution of global shark species.

Emma Olivia Tormalm is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelors in Marine Science at James Cook University. She has been a volunteer for the Rummer Lab since the beginning of 2024 and has through her role become proficient in shark husbandry, embryonic development of epaulette sharks and assisting in physiological research methodologies. Her role as senior volunteer has helped bridge the gap between lab- and fieldwork, able to pursue an epaulette shark monitoring internship with Elasmobranch Project Indonesia and the FINstitute, where she was able to gain hands-on experience in shark tagging, DNA sampling, coral photogrammetry and population surveys.

I'm a mature student who has recently finished up studying at JCU with a Bachelor of Science Majoring in Marine Biology. In my previous career I worked in the Construction industry specialising in Carpentry, Concreting, Formwork, Tiling and Painting, while also completing my Diploma of Building and Construction, this has helped me adapt to the field environment and hope can help provide me unique service to marine science. I've been lucky enough to be involved with RummerLab and Physioshark helping in various exciting projects. Initially started volunteering in Mo'orea, French Polynesia where I helped with field work every evening in catching, tagging and releasing juvenile/neonate Blacktip Reef Sharks and Sicklefin Lemon Sharks. Later when I commenced my degree at JCU I got involved with the Rummer/Physioshark Lab helping with husbandry, training new members, Port Douglas Field Research and various experiment of graduate students including blood sampling, kinematics studies, dissections, elasmobranch egg husbandry and assisting in shark surgery. I have been extremely lucky and thankful for being able to have these valuable experiences where I look forward in applying to my professional career, with such a great team lead by a motivated and enthusiastic Professor.

Originally from Milan, Italy, Miriam earned her BSc in Biological Sciences from University of Milan. Since May 2024, she has been a husbandry volunteer in Dr. Jodie Rummer's lab. Her research investigates the energetic costs associated with digestion in neonate epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium ocellatum), with a particular focus on the influence of temperature. She examines specific dynamic action (SDA) as a critical component of the neonatal energy budget, using intermittent flow respirometry to quantify oxygen uptake rates during ingestion, digestion and assimilation. Her study aims to elucidate the energetic demands of early growth, the energetic cost of the metabolic transition from endogenous yolk reserves to active foraging, and the potential constraints imposed by increased temperatures. By integrating physiological and ecological perspectives, her research contributes to a broader understanding of thermal tolerance in early life stages and the implications of climate change on developmental energetics in elasmobranchs.