Dr. Culum Brown

Biography

Culum has made significant contributions to the study of behavioural ecology in fishes throughout his research career. His research niche lies in the study of fish behaviour and its application in fisheries science, contributing to an enhanced understanding of fish cognition. Culum is well-known as a champion of fish intelligence and increasingly strives to improve fish welfare. He has published over 160 peer-reviewed papers and 21 book chapters with fishes as his primary focus, collectively amounting to more than 180 publications which have been cited over 12,000 times, resulting in an h-index of 59. Culum is recognized among the top 1% of researchers on ResearchGate and was named among Australia's influential animal behaviour researchers by Australian Research magazine in 2025. His work includes a variety of model organisms such as salmonids, sticklebacks, rainbowfish, guppies, and sharks. He completed his PhD at the University of Queensland in 2000 and undertook postdoctoral research at Cambridge University, focusing on predator recognition and social behaviour in fishes, with particular emphasis on social learning. His reviews on social learning in fishes have been cited over 500 times. Culum has applied his knowledge on fish cognition to enhance the post-release survival of hatchery-reared fish, using life-skills training—a practice that is increasingly common in hatcheries worldwide. He served as a guest editor for a special issue on learning and memory in fishes in the journal Fish and Fisheries, and his work culminated in a published book entitled 'Fish Cognition and Behaviour'.

Research Interests