2months of PhD fieldwork in Kenya complete!🇰🇪 From reef fish abundance and LIT benthic surveys to interviews and focus groups with local fishers , traders and leaders involved in Beach Management Units (BMU). It's been a packed and incredible experience and opportunity to work with a great team!🐠🤿🎣

RECRUITING 3 Senior Research Associates to develop responsible AI-enabled approaches to unlock animal behaviour for conservation. Roles include: 🧠 AI/Computer Vision 🐠 Behavioural Ecology 🌊 Marine Field Ecology Join @lec-reefs.bsky.social & @dsailu.bsky.social, Lancaster Uni, UK. Ads coming soon!

Some of our PhD REEFs researchers had an exciting week at #ISBE2026 presenting their PhD work for the first time🎉 Stella & @mollylouisefowkes.bsky.social shared insights on eel movement and sociality 🐍 Victoria explored the global biogeography of reef fish behaviour 🐠 Congratulations Team!🌊

A busy week for LECREEFS at #ICRS2026🪸 A plenary from @christinahicks.bsky.social & talks from @cherfychow.bsky.social @lisagoberdhan.bsky.social @lljeannot.bsky.social Khatija & @nickajgraham.bsky.social about diversity patterns, cryptofauna distributions & pelagic subsidies to coral reefs 🪸🐠

Grateful to have shared my research at ISBE 2026, learned from so many inspiring people, and left with new ideas, new connections, and plenty of motivation for the next steps. Thank you ISBE for the travel grant! Here’s to many more. 🌍🧪 #isbe2026 #behaviouralecology #europeaneel #sciencecomm

@salkeith.bsky.social & @chaimelchik.bsky.social ran a #BESMacro2026 workshop on AI modelling in ecology 🖥️ The workshop involved some hands on modelling work 👩🏽‍💻 & lots of discussion around the ethical, environmental and scientific issues in applying AI 💭 #ICRS & #ISBE updates to follow shortly 🪸🐠🐬

@christinahicks.bsky.social, @anastasiasmith.bsky.social, @fmc1.bsky.social and Omokotu attended the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa! 🪸 Ana spoke about Kenyan reef fishery governance 🐟 Christina delivered a wonderful keynote speech & moderated several sessions representing @oceana.bsky.social

Seattle updates! @lljeannot.bsky.social attended a cryptobenthic fish taxonomy workshop at the University of Washington, led by Luke Tornabene, @chrisgoatley.bsky.social, Diego Vaz & @lizmillermacroevo.bsky.social, to learn about delineation, descriptions, phylogenetics, CT scanning & more📊🐠👩

Congratulations to Prof Nick Graham, who has been elected to become a Fellow of @royalsociety.org, one of the world’s most prestigious learned societies! 👏 Nick is a Chair in marine ecology, and his research explores the effects of climate change on coral reef ecosystems 🐟 @lec-reefs.bsky.social

Lancaster marine ecologist elected to become Royal Society Fellow - Lancaster University

Lancaster University’s Distinguished Professor Nick Graham has been elected to become a Fellow of the Royal Society, one of the world’s most prestigious learned societies.

pulse.ly

Had fun talking corals at Brownies tonight - such an enthusiastic and engaged bunch! My daughter couldn’t stop giggling when I dressed her up in all the dive gear 😂🥰

@james-robinson.bsky.social & @bwoodhead.bsky.social at the PICES SPF Symposium!🐟 Beth spoke on distal drivers of SPF fishing pressure🎣 James ran a workshop on nutrition in SPF value chains & presented @crisruanocha.bsky.social work on fishmeal factory impacts on fish consumption in West Africa🐟

New Paper Alert! @sophiestanden.bsky.social Is Understanding‘Fish as Food’ Enough?Reclaiming Power and Politics in Aquatic Food Research and Policy 📈Despite aquatic food systems gaining global attention, the role of power dynamics shaping debates is still overlooked. 👇 tinyurl.com/FishAsFood26

NEW: How is climate change impacting the AMOC, the Atlantic currents that help keep Europe warm? @carbonbrief.org’s new in-depth explainer covers: 🌊 How the AMOC is impacted by warming 🌎 What research says about AMOC collapse 🗞️ How the media covers AMOC Read more here: tinyurl.com/5caxbw5a

AMOC: Is global warming tipping key Atlantic ocean currents towards ‘collapse’?

The AMOC is under threat from human-caused climate change, as warming seas, melting ice and increased rainfall upset the temperature and salt balance of the North Atlantic.

tinyurl.com

Last week our fantastic PhD student @nyxonrf.bsky.social attended the @thembauk.bsky.social Postgraduate Conference in Newcastle! Nyxon presented her first thesis poster, highlighting data from Kew Herbarium @rbgkew.bsky.social on the photosynthetic diversity of seagrass Well Done Nyxon! 🐠🐚🌊

Last week some of our PhDs attended Envision's student conference in Windermere Khatija Alliji, @bwoodhead.bsky.social, @anastasiasmith.bsky.social & @nadia-hamilton.bsky.social spoke on topics from coral reefs to pelagic systems 🎣🪸 AND alumni @markh22.bsky.social joined a panel on post-PhD life 🎓

The study, which is based on six years of observing the species in Fiji, has been covered by major media outlets including the BBC… Check out the BBC Wildlife Magazine: www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts... Or listen to Lancaster’s Dr David Jacoby (from 26 mins): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Researchers studied 184 bull sharks in Fiji – and discovered they might make friends | Discover Wildlife

Scientists studying bull sharks in Fiji found that the animals may have more complex social lives than previously thought.

discoverwildlife.com

The surprising social life of sharks hit the headlines this week, thanks to new research supported by Lancaster researchers. They discovered that bull sharks form relationships with specific “friends”, rather than mixing at random www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/bull-sh...

Bull sharks have ‘friends’ - Lancaster University

Bull sharks form social relationships with specific “friends”, new research reveals.

lancaster.ac.uk

New paper out on the use of Virtual Reality to increase ocean literacy in higher education 🤿🌊 Not everyone has the chance to see & interact with reefs, but immersive tools like these can allow for a more personal connection with the ocean & ultimately foster a deeper sense of agency and empathy!

Sal Keith (she/her)@salkeith.bsky.social · 5mo ago

VR dive experience tested on my coral reef ecology module @lancasteruninews.bsky.social found it helped consolidate knowledge & motivated learning+pro-environmental behaviour. Just avoid that uncanny valley! esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @lec-reefs.bsky.social VR by thehydro.us

VR dive experience tested on my coral reef ecology module @lancasteruninews.bsky.social found it helped consolidate knowledge & motivated learning+pro-environmental behaviour. Just avoid that uncanny valley! esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @lec-reefs.bsky.social VR by thehydro.us

Enhancing motivation to learn marine ecology and increase ocean literacy through virtual reality in higher education

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly recognized as a tool for enhancing engagement and motivation in education. This is particularly true where access to experiential learning is limited, as is often...

esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Check out this new paper by @salkeith.bsky.social and @lljeannot.bsky.social on using VR to improve and motivate pro-environmental learning behaviour in coral reef contexts! 🪸🐟👩‍💻

Sal Keith (she/her)@salkeith.bsky.social · 5mo ago

VR dive experience tested on my coral reef ecology module @lancasteruninews.bsky.social found it helped consolidate knowledge & motivated learning+pro-environmental behaviour. Just avoid that uncanny valley! esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @lec-reefs.bsky.social VR by thehydro.us

This international women’s day we celebrate the inspiring women that are part of, and work alongside our group. The UN’s theme for #IWD is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”- learn more here: www.unwomen.org/en/get-invol... 👩🏽‍🔬👩🏻‍🎓👩🏾‍🏫👩🏼‍💻

Thousands of dead puffins are washing up on Europe’s beaches - Dr Ruth Dunn explains why in the Conversation @lec-reefs.bsky.social @ruthedunn.bsky.social theconversation.com/thousands-of...

Thousands of dead puffins are washing up on Europe’s beaches – why it’s been such a dangerous winter for seabirds

Seabirds are washing up on Europe’s beaches in large numbers after weeks of bad weather.

theconversation.com

Very excited to be one of the new Fellows of the BES! It has always been the society where I feel I belong the most 🥰 www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/marine-... @britishecologicalsociety.org @lec-reefs.bsky.social @dsilu.bsky.social @macrobehaviour.bsky.social @lancasteruninews.bsky.social

Marine biology scientist recognised by Fellow status in world’s oldest ecological society - Lancaster University

A Lancaster University marine biologist has been recognised with prestigious Fellow of the British Ecological Society (BES) status.

lancaster.ac.uk

Today our Applied Data Science for Biodiversity MSc students took a trip to our underwater Coral Crisis Centre to coordinate a rapid response to an upcoming heatwave. Ready to dive? 👌 @lec-reefs.bsky.social @dsilu.bsky.social @lancasteruninews.bsky.social

Excited to head to Oxford for this on Friday! 🐦

Edward Grey Institute@egioxford.bsky.social · 5mo ago

This week's EGI seminar will be give by @ruthedunn.bsky.social from @lancasteruni.bsky.social on Seabird-driven energy and nutrient flows, in person in @biology.ox.ac.uk on Friday 27 Feb at 3.30. All welcome! The seminar will also be live-streamed - joining details available below ⬇️

🎙️ The fabulous @mollylouisefowkes.bsky.social was recently invited to talk on the Impact Storytelling Podcast about her research exploring the hidden social lives of the endangered European eel! 📊 👩‍💻🛥️ Listen now on YouTube & Spotify: tinyurl.com/Eelpodcast 🎧

Is it possible to save our seas and enjoy seafood at the same time? 🐟🍴 Check out this #NationalGeographic interview with marine scientist and conservationist Prof Christina Hicks of @lec-reefs.bsky.social on sustainable seafood and protecting marine life 👇

A marine scientist explains why she eats seafood—even octopus

Conservationist Christina Hicks explains the tension between protecting marine life and depending on it for food, and how our seafood choices ripple across the world.

nationalgeographic.com

Congratulations to @salkeith.bsky.social of @lec-reefs.bsky.social, who has has been recognised as a Fellow of @britishecologicalsociety.org! 👏 Dr Keith pioneered the concept of ‘macrobehaviour’, exploring behavioural patterns across large geographical regions, varying species, and long timescales.

Marine biology scientist recognised by Fellow status in world’s oldest ecological society - Lancaster University

A Lancaster University marine biologist has been recognised with prestigious Fellow of the British Ecological Society (BES) status.

lancaster.ac.uk

Super excited to announce I've started as a postdoc at LEC REEFS @lec-reefs.bsky.social with James Robinson @james-robinson.bsky.social and Renato Morais @renatoamorais.bsky.social. Not only can I stick with my reef fish, but we're scaling up work on fish productivity and nutrient fluxes 🦠🐠

New paper on coral reef restoration and recovery by @timlamont.bsky.social et al: doi.org/10.1111/gcb.... 🪸

Corallivorous Fish Have Reduced Population Sizes and Altered Foraging Behaviour on a Recently Restored Coral Reef

We investigated the recovery of corals and fishes at one of the world's largest coral reef restoration projects, in central Indonesia. Within 4–6 years of the coral restoration starting, the total am....

doi.org

Tim Lamont@timlamont.bsky.social · 9mo ago

🚨 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫! 🚨 Open access here - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... - and summary below ⬇️ @lec-reefs.bsky.social