Renae Hovey

I study the influence of the ocean's physical and biotic environment on the population dynamics and distribution of marine benthic organisms. Much of my research integrates the fields of biology, spatial ecology, oceanography and fishery science, building toward a better mechanistic understanding of marine populations and communities. My current research focusses on developing spatially explicit relationships (geostatistical models) between commercially important target species, (e.g. lobsters and prawns) and key habitats (e.g. kelps and seagrasses).

I have extensive field experience in tropical and temperate reef (coral and macroalgae dominated communities), seagrass and mangrove habitats. This includes boat based (towed video, water sampling, grab) and diving (SCUBA & free diving) data collection methods. I also have extensive laboratory and processing experience. This includes chemical analysis of sediment and plant material, video and photo analysis (seagrass, macroalgae and coral dominated communites) and macrophyte taxonomy.

I enjoy both undergraduate teaching and research training for Honours, Masters and PhD students. My passion for teaching started as an undergrad during which time I got a job working at the Department of Environment and Conservation (now DBCA) as a Marine Guide. This work involved developing and running marine based education activities at the beach and in the class room. My tertiary teaching experience started as a PhD student where I co-ordinated laboratory and field activities. I currently teach into undergrad units in the UWA Marine Science program. I am proactive in developing Teaching and Learning philosophies as evidenced through my participation in unit development, strategic workshops, education committees and training courses. I have written and submitted teaching grants on a regular basis since 2014. In 2015, I was awarded a TL strategic fund grant to improve the learning experience in marine science units. I have also actively sort industry funding to support undergraduate teaching, particularly the Field Techniques in Marine Science field trip.