About
Originally from Germany, Zoe has been fascinated by the marine environment from an early age, spending many of her childhood summers snorkelling and investigating rockpool inhabitants along the Mediterranean coast. This innate interest is what led her to complete an integrated masters (MSci) in Marine and Freshwater Biology at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Here, it became apparent very quickly that her main interests lay in fish ecophysiology and behaviour.
As part of her degree, Zoe had the opportunity to complete a placement year in marine science, which she spent working on diverse projects covering her interests at the Killen Lab at the University of Glasgow, at CRIOBE in French Polynesia, and at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, which she greatly enjoyed. Zoe was immediately hooked on research. As such, she wrote two dissertations, one investigating the effect of shark recovery on mesopredatory teleost behaviour on an Australian coral reef, and the other on the effect of catch-and-discard fishing on the social behaviour of the three-striped dwarf cichlid (Apistogramma trifasciata), both of which she presented at international conferences. She also collaborated on many other projects in the Killen Lab, two of which have already resulted in publications.
Through her research experience in Australia, France, and Scotland, Zoe quickly learned to appreciate the value of international collaborations in the marine science community. With a PhD being the next logical step to fulfil her goal in joining this international marine science research community and working in research long-term, Zoe is very excited to be starting a joint PhD between École Pratique des Hautes Études in France and James Cook University in Australia. Zoe will be investigating the interplay between behavioural plasticity and ecophysiology of coral reef fish to environmental change.
Interests
Her research interests are Ecophysiology, Animal behaviour, Fish biology, Temperature, Thermoregulation, Climate change, Coral reefs and Behavioural plasticity.
Zoe likes to spend her free time with friends and family and loves exploring new places and cultures. Zoe spends as much time as she can outdoors, including hiking, climbing, or going on camping trips, and also very much enjoyed rowing during her university years. She also really enjoys spending additional time in the sea outside of work, especially snorkelling, freediving, and surfing. When she is not outside, Zoe likes to cook with her friends, to do art projects (ranging from pottery to painting and woodwork), and to go to concerts.