Professor Dr. James Herbert Read

Biography

James Herbert-Read completed his undergraduate degree in Marine Science and obtained a PhD in Behavioural Ecology from the University of Sydney, Australia, under the supervision of Professor Ashley Ward. He moved to Sweden for postdoctoral work with Professor David Sumpter at Uppsala University and then with Professor Niclas Kolm at Stockholm University, where he spent six years. He subsequently relocated to the UK to collaborate with Dr. Christos Ioannou at Bristol University before taking on the Whitten Lectureship in Marine Biology at the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology. His research investigates the causes and consequences of animal behaviour with a strong focus on marine organisms. His inquiries include how animals gather information from their social and physical environments, how they utilize this information to inform their behavioural decisions, and the benefits and costs associated with different behavioural strategies. He primarily uses fish as model systems to address these questions, employing a theory-driven framework that incorporates manipulative experimental methods and quantitative data acquisition techniques to analyze and interpret behaviour in controlled laboratory experiments and field settings.

Research Interests

Experience

Courses