Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Overview
I am interested in leveraging technology to tackle ‘big’ and applied scientific problems. I have a broad research background and interests, ranging from biotechnology to hydrodynamics. My previous work has focused on the effects of changing environmental conditions on marine ecosystems/species and human’s relationships with them, including fisheries and elasmobranch megafauna. I have worked heavily on the energetics of elasmobranchs, including how changes in temperature will affect individuals and populations, using tools including bioenergetic models, biologging with miniaturised sensors, and biomechanic/hydrodynamic models.
My current research in the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science examines novel techniques to monitor coral reefs. I am developing tools that will optimise the use of citizen science and Artificial Intelligence to enable broadscale monitoring of coral reefs. This includes methods of in-water sampling, as well as analysis tools to provide rapid, accurate and scalable monitoring of coral reefs powered by local communities. I am using the Great Barrier Reef as a case study to develop tools that can be applied globally.
Research Interests
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Citizen science
Using a decentralised workforce to massively scale conservation and ecosystem monitoring. -
Physiology & energetics
Using bioenergetic models to understand how individuals and ecosystems respond to changing environmental conditions. -
Machine learning and computer vision
Using AI to rapidly improve the scale and accuracy of monitoring and conservation. -
Biodiversity markets and novel financial schemes
How do we best onboard new resources and funding for conservation and applied ecological research?
Publications
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Journal Article: Flexibility for fuelling reproduction in a pelagic ray (Mobula eregoodoo) suggested by bioenergetic modelling
Lawson, Christopher L., Dudgeon, Christine L., Richardson, Anthony J., Broadhurst, Matt K. and Bennett, Michael B. (2022). Flexibility for fuelling reproduction in a pelagic ray (Mobula eregoodoo) suggested by bioenergetic modelling. Journal of Fish Biology, 100 (3), 783-792. doi: 10.1111/jfb.14995
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Other Outputs: The energetics of elasmobranchs: applications of bioenergetic models, physiology and biomechanics
Lawson, Christopher Leonard (2022). The energetics of elasmobranchs: applications of bioenergetic models, physiology and biomechanics. PhD Thesis, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/c30ba8a
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Journal Article: Bioenergetic model sensitivity to diet diversity across space, time and ontogeny
Lawson, Christopher L., Taylor, Matthew D., Smith, James A., Payne, Nicholas L., Semmens, Jayson M., Suthers, Iain M. and Brodie, Stephanie (2021). Bioenergetic model sensitivity to diet diversity across space, time and ontogeny. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8 625855. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.625855
Grants
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Understanding the energetics of manta rays
(2019–2021) Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation Inc
Publications
Journal Article
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Lawson, Christopher L., Dudgeon, Christine L., Richardson, Anthony J., Broadhurst, Matt K. and Bennett, Michael B. (2022). Flexibility for fuelling reproduction in a pelagic ray (Mobula eregoodoo) suggested by bioenergetic modelling. Journal of Fish Biology, 100 (3), 783-792. doi: 10.1111/jfb.14995
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Bioenergetic model sensitivity to diet diversity across space, time and ontogeny
Lawson, Christopher L., Taylor, Matthew D., Smith, James A., Payne, Nicholas L., Semmens, Jayson M., Suthers, Iain M. and Brodie, Stephanie (2021). Bioenergetic model sensitivity to diet diversity across space, time and ontogeny. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8 625855. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.625855
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Powering ocean giants: the energetics of shark and ray megafauna
Lawson, Christopher L., Halsey, Lewis G., Hays, Graeme C., Dudgeon, Christine L., Payne, Nicholas L., Bennett, Michael B., White, Craig R. and Richardson, Anthony J. (2019). Powering ocean giants: the energetics of shark and ray megafauna. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 34 (11), 1009-1021. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.07.001
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The influence of ontogenetic diet variation on consumption rate estimates: a marine example
Lawson, Christopher L., Suthers, Iain M., Smith, James A., Schilling, Hayden T., Stewart, John, Hughes, Julian M. and Brodie, Stephanie (2018). The influence of ontogenetic diet variation on consumption rate estimates: a marine example. Scientific Reports, 8 (1) 10725, 10725. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-28479-7
Other Outputs
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The energetics of elasmobranchs: applications of bioenergetic models, physiology and biomechanics
Lawson, Christopher Leonard (2022). The energetics of elasmobranchs: applications of bioenergetic models, physiology and biomechanics. PhD Thesis, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/c30ba8a
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Data and scripts of the manuscript: Climate-smart, 3-D protected areas in the high seas
Everett, Jason, Richardson, Anthony, Brito Morales, Isaac, O'Connor, Rosemary, Sykes, Patrick, Dyer, Phil, Rafaela de Albuquerque Ribeiro, Arafeh Dalmau, Nur, Rosa Mar Dominguez, Schoeman, David, Richards, Irene, Stansfield, Bryce, Dominguez Martinez, Rosa, Lawson, Christopher, Heneghan, Ryan, Tin Buenafe and Maya Boueiz (2021). Data and scripts of the manuscript: Climate-smart, 3-D protected areas in the high seas. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.14264/34d915e
Grants (Administered at UQ)
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Understanding the energetics of manta rays
(2019–2021) Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation Inc
