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Welcome to the School of Marine and Tropical Biology at James Cook University.

The University

The University has a total enrolment of about 16,000 students on campuses in Townsville (10,841 students) and Cairns (3601 students) and 1,400 staff. It provides courses that cater for its immediate region, and for a strong international clientele. It is recognized internationally for its undergraduate, postgraduate and research programs in Biological Sciences.

The School

The School takes the lead in maintaining and enhancing the University’s international profile. The School’s strategic intent is to be the leading research and education centre for the study of biology in the tropics. To this end it aims to expand knowledge and understanding of biology through excellence in research and teaching, with a focus on tropical systems. With its immense biodiversity, in marine and terrestrial environments, we consider north Queensland to be one of the best places in the world to study whole organism biology and ecology

School Profile

  • Four disciplines representing our major research and teaching foci:

    • Aquaculture (Head: Professor Rocky de Nys)

    • Marine Biology (Head: Professor Mike Kingsford)

    • Tropical Plant and Agricultural Science (Head: Dr Michelle Waycott)

    • Zoology and Tropical Ecology (Head: Professor Richard Pearson);

  • 46 academic staff, 343 research staff, plus ~25 Adjunct and Associate staff, including one Federation Fellow and one ARC Professorial Fellow;

  • There is a total of 1350 students in the School (1110 in Townsville), included in that total are about 200 study abroad students who spend one semester at JCU;

  • 300 postgraduate students including 150 research MSc or PhD students; ~ 50% are international students from the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Pacific;

  • Outstanding publication rate (>450 items in the last year) and the highest at JCU;

  • JCU is the lead Australian University in ISI rankings for Ecology and Environment – mostly due to this school’s productivity;

  • Citation indices in 2004 show that we have 4 of the top 10 authors in the world who focus on coral reef ecosystems;

  • Major contributor to two JCU Areas of Research Strength –Marine Science and Tropical Biology & Conservation;

  • A major contributor to the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovative Science for Sustainable Management of Coral Reef Biodiversity;

  • Professor Terry Hughes (currently with the Centre of Excellence) is one of a few Federation Fellows in Queensland;

  • Represented in the Australian Academy of Science (Professors Terry Hughes and Ross Crozier);

  • Greatest number of tropical courses and subjects in the world;

  • World recognized programs in Aquaculture, marine biology, marine science, ecology and conservation

  • We host visiting scientists from all over the world, especially: USA, UK, France, New Zealand, Japan and Indonesia;

  • Continuing development of the Centre for Agritech Research;

  • Newly emerging Centres for Biodiversity and Climate Change and for Frog Disease Research;

  • Strong involvement in the new Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility (programs on Water Quality, Invasive Organisms, Aquaculture, Marine Stingers, Climate Change, the Great Barrier Reef etc);

  • Strong research collaborations with the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Centre for Tropical freshwater Research (ACTFR) at JCU, Savanna and Desert Knowledge CRCs, etc.;

  • Excellent infrastructure for teaching and research including: the Advanced Analytical Centre, ACTFR Water Quality laboratory, Orpheus Island Research Station, the MARFU aquarium/aquaculture complex on campus, the research vessel James Kirby (~ 20 m long), and the Paluma forest research station.

  • The School undertakes commissioned research and collaborative projects for State and Federal government departments as well as local and international non-governmental agencies. Consultancies and enabling technologies are also done in collaboration with industry.

Thank you for your interest in this School.

Yours sincerely

Professor Michael Kingsford