New Fulbright Postdoc, Emily Lester, and FLAD postdoc, José Paula, Join The Lab!

Welcome to the Madin lab, Emily and José! We are thrilled to have them join our team as postdoctoral researchers. With their impressive backgrounds and unique research interests, we know they will both will make invaluable contributions to our lab's mission of understanding the complexities of marine ecosystems.

Emily, who brings a wealth of experience to the lab. Originally from the UK, Emily received her Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of York before moving to Australia for her Master's degree in Marine Science and Ph.D. research with the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Western Australia's Marine Ecology Group. She has since worked with Australian State and Federal government research agencies and joins the Madin lab as a Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar. Emily's research interests lie in predator-prey interactions, particularly in how human activities impact the behavior of animals. She focuses on understanding how humans modify food chains, nutrient flows, and the stability of ecosystems, particularly via the removal of predators. As part of the Madin lab, Emily will investigate the influence of predator populations on herbivorous fishes using vegetation patterns on coral reefs called 'reef halos'. Her research will combine satellite imagery and fish survey data to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of fishing on reef halo size within the context of environmental variation.

José hails from Portugal, where he is an Assistant Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Lisbon. His research interests include behavioral ecology and evolution, cognition, and interspecific interactions. During his Ph.D. work, José focused on the effects of climate change on cleaning mutualisms, using a range of methods from experimental ecology, behavioral experiments, eco-physiology, and neurobiology. In the Madin lab, José will work on the Hawaiian cleaner wrasse and use mesocosms and natural ecological experiments to unravel the processes behind the development of their sophisticated cognition. With his expertise in behavioral ecology and evolution, we are excited to see how José's research will shed new light on the fascinating world of cleaner wrasse behavior and the evolution of cognition in marine organisms.

We are excited to have them both on board and look forward to their contributions to the lab’s research program and new collaborations!