Research output per year
Research output per year
The University of Western Australia (M470), 35 Stirling Highway,
6009 Perth
Australia
Program coordinator: Marine Biology major, Bachelor of Marine Science , Master of Marine Biology , Combined Bachelor's and Masters in Marine Science
Committee Co-Chair: Community and Outreach (School of Biological Sciences)
Committee member: Learning and Teaching and School Board (School of Biological Sciences), OceanWorks (Woodside FutureLab Network)
I study the influence of the ocean's physical and biotic environment on the population dynamics and distribution of marine benthic organisms. My research integrates the fields of biology, spatial ecology, oceanography and fishery science, contributing to a more mechanistic understanding of marine populations and communities.
My PhD focused on the ecophysiology of seagrasses in restored meadows in estuarine ecosystems. Since then, I have expanded my expertise in GIS and statistical modelling to produce benthic habitat maps for fisheries management and seagrass genetic studies. My current research centres on the resilience of marine communities and ecosystem functioning in a changing world, including developing spatially explicit frameworks to identify climate refugia and assessing the distribution and ecological impacts of plastics in nearshore and estuarine systems.
I work closely with Traditional Owners to monitor intertidal habitats within their Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs), ensuring that research aligns with community priorities and Indigenous knowledge systems. I am also actively engaged in community-led seagrass restoration programs, promoting collaborative stewardship and local capacity-building in coastal conservation.
I have extensive field experience across tropical and temperate reef systems (including coral and macroalgae-dominated communities), seagrass meadows, and mangrove habitats. This includes both boat-based (e.g. towed video, water sampling, sediment grabs) and diving (SCUBA and free diving) survey methods. My laboratory experience encompasses chemical analysis of sediments and plant material, video and photo annotation for benthic habitat assessment, 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 am currently the co-coordinator for the Marine Biology, Marine Science and Master of Marine Biology degrees as well as coordinate and teach into three undergraduate units plus two postgraduate units. 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.
Program Co-coordinator: Masters of Marine Biology, Combined Bachelor's and Masters (CBM) in Marine Science, Marine Biology, Marine Science
Unit Coordinator: SCIE3304 Field Techniques in Marine Science, ENVT3306 Coastal Conservation and Management, BIOL4411 Marine Field Studies, BIOL4408 Marine Ecology
Lecturer/contributor: ENVT2221 Global Climate Change and Biodiversity, BIOL2204 Marine Biology
Postdocs
Matilda Murley: Investigating connectivity between Mayala Sea Country and the Kimberley Marine Park
PhDs
Clelia Mula: Investigating the role of macroalgae as nursery habitat for coral reef fishes
Jessica Pearce: An omics toolkit for shark conservation and management
Kautilya Srivastava: Plastic crisis in WA: Plastic accumulation, its fate, impact and biodegradation potential
Nina Ho: Seed based restoration for tropical seagrasses
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Marine Ecology, PhD, The University of Western Australia
Award Date: 30 Mar 2010
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Sinclair, E. A. (Creator), Ruiz-Montoya, L. (Creator), Krauss, S. L. (Creator), Anthony, J. M. (Creator), Hovey, R. K. (Creator), Lowe, R. J. (Creator) & Kendrick, G. A. (Creator), DRYAD, 31 Oct 2018
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.8s3n710, http://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.8s3n710
Dataset
Hadiyanto, H. (Creator), Hovey, R. (Creator), Glasby, C. (Creator) & Prince, J. (Creator), DRYAD, 1 Jan 2021
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.69p8cz91j, http://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.69p8cz91j and 2 more links, https://zenodo.org/record/6499571, https://zenodo.org/records/6499571 (show fewer)
Dataset
Gustafsson, C. (Creator), Hovey, R. (Creator), Olsen, Y. (Creator), Statton, J. (Creator) & Kendrick, G. (Creator), DRYAD, 16 Apr 2025
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.1vhhmgr5z, https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.1vhhmgr5z
Dataset
Giraldo Ospina, A. (Creator), Kendrick, G. (Creator) & Hovey, R. (Creator), DRYAD, 20 May 2020
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.s4mw6m93c, http://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.s4mw6m93c
Dataset
Sinclair, E. A. (Creator), Hovey, R. (Creator), Krauss, S. (Creator), Anthony, J. (Creator), Waycott, M. (Creator) & Kendrick, G. (Creator), DRYAD, 10 Mar 2023
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.kwh70rz4p, https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.kwh70rz4p and one more link, https://zenodo.org/record/7719793 (show fewer)
Dataset
Mula, C. (Investigator 01), Wilson, S. (Investigator 02), Hovey, R. (Investigator 03), Fulton, C. (Investigator 04) & Brooker, R. (Investigator 05)
Ecological Society of Australia
2/09/24 → 1/09/25
Project: Research
Prince, J. (Investigator 01), Hovey, R. (Investigator 02) & Murley, M. (Investigator 03)
21/05/24 → 29/05/26
Project: Research
Hovey, R. (Investigator 01), Langlois, T. (Investigator 02), Griffin, K. (Investigator 03), Baker, P. (Investigator 04), McDermont, M. (Investigator 05), Monk, J. (Investigator 06) & Barrett, N. (Investigator 07)
15/08/22 → 31/05/26
Project: Research
Langlois, T. (Investigator 01), Navarro, M. (Investigator 02), Gibbons, B. (Investigator 03), Spencer, C. (Investigator 04), Kendrick, G. (Investigator 05), Hovey, R. (Investigator 06) & Hickey, S. (Investigator 07)
2/01/23 → 22/12/23
Project: Research
Hovey, R. (Investigator 01), Werorilangi, S. (Investigator 02), Umar, W. (Investigator 03), Hasyim, H. (Investigator 04), Masyiah Rani Harusi, N. (Investigator 05), Filbee-Dexter, K. (Investigator 06) & Langford, A. (Investigator 07)
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)
30/06/22 → 30/11/22
Project: Research