A certified PADI Divemaster with over five hundred dives, Julia is an experienced AAUS and CAUS certified Scientific Diver. She conducted her undergraduate honours thesis research at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, where she focused on coral reef reproduction and recruitment in Mustard Hill Coral (Porites astreoides) (de Putron et al. 2017). This research quantified differences in coral larval development in offshore rim reef sites compared to inshore lagoonal reef sites.

Julia became fascinated with coral reef fish and took a Research Assistant position with Mark Hixon’s research team (the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa) in the Bahamas studying invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans). This field work-intensive position involved capturing and relocating lionfish to create high- and low-density lionfish sites. Julia was also responsible for identifying and estimating the size of juvenile and adult reef fish.

Following her time in the Bahamas, Julia spent a year living and working in Australia. She took a Research Assistantship position with Dr. Pete Mumby’s research team (the University of Queensland). This intensive field-based position at Heron Island Research Station involved looking at the impacts of surgeonfish grazing on algal growth. This involved setting up experimental tiles in cages underwater, monitoring these tiles on a regular basis, and conducting behavioral surveys on the two focal species of surgeonfish.

Julia then took a job as a Divemaster and Marine Biologist for Poseidon Outer Reef Cruises based in Port Douglas, Australia. Her onboard Poseidon was to safely lead certified divers and snorkelers around dive and snorkel sites on the outer Great Barrier Reef. She presented information on basic coral reef ecology to 60-80 customers, and often guided groups of customers on snorkel tours to help customers identify species of coral reef fish.

Relevant peer-reviewed publications.
• de Putron S, Lawson JM, White K, Costa MT, Geronimus MVB and MacCarthy A. 2017. Variation in larval properties of the Atlantic brooding coral Porites astreoides between different reef sites in Bermuda. Coral Reefs 36(2): 383-393. doi: 10.1007/s00338-016-1527-8
• Harborne AR, Selwyn J, Pointon L, Lawson JM and Gallo M. 2016. Environmental drivers of diurnal visits by transient predatory fishes to Caribbean patch reefs. Journal of Fish Biology 90(1): 265-282. doi: 10.1111/jfb.13180
• Murillo JF, Kenchington EL, Lawson JM, Li G, Piper DJW. 2016. Ancient deep-sea sponge grounds on the Flemish Cap, northwest Atlantic. Marine Biology 163:63. doi:10.1007/s00227-016-2839-5
• Aylesworth LA, Lawson JM, Laksanawimol P, Ferber P, Loh TL. 2016. New records of Hippocampus mohnikei in Southeast Asia lead to updates in range, habitat and threats. Journal of Fish Biology 88: 1620-1630. doi: 10.1111/jfb.12908
• Lawson JM, Foster SJ, Lim ACO, Chong VC, Vincent ACJ. 2015. Novel life history for threatened seahorses provides insights into fishery effects. Journal of Fish Biology 86(1): 1-15. doi: 10.1111/jfb.12527
• Yip MY, Lim ACO, Chong VC, Lawson JM, Foster SJ. 2014. Food and feeding habits of the seahorses Hippocampus spinosissimus and Hippocampus trimaculatus (Malaysia). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 95(5): 1033-1040. doi: 10.1017/S0025315414001660

Relevant technical reports and book chapters.

• Lawson, JM. 2017. The global search for seahorses in bycatch. Fisheries 42(1): 34-39. doi: 10.1080/03632415.2017.1273660

Relevant presentations.

• Lawson JM, Foster SJ, and Vincent ACJ. 2014. Don’t forget about the little guys: the global picture of seahorses in bycatch. The 3rd International Marine Conservation Congress. 17 Aug 2014. Glasgow, Scotland.
• Murillo FJ, Kenchington EL, Lawson JM, Li G, Piper, DJW. 2014. Ancient deep-sea sponge grounds on the slopes of Flemish Cap and Grand Bank of Newfoundland, northwest Atlantic. The 2nd International Workshop on Taxonomy of Atlanto-Mediterranean Deep-Sea Sponges. 5 Jun 2014. Bergen, Norway.
• Lawson JM. 2014. Don’t forget about the little guys: impacts of bycatch on seahorses and implications for other small fishes. UBC Zoology Graduate Student Symposium. 11 Apr 2014. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
• Lawson JM. 2013. Seahorses in Malaysia and beyond. UVic/UBC/SFU Ecology and Evolution Graduate Student Retreat. 1 Nov 2013. Brackendale, British Columbia, Canada. [Runner-up Best Student Talk]