Episode 131: Prof. Jeff Leis (IMAS and Australian Museum) - Part 1

In this episode we hear Part 1 of Craig's interview with Prof. Jeff Leis who is an Adjunct Professor of the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, and also a Senior Fellow of the Australian Museum (Sydney). Jeff was formerly a Senior Principal Research Scientist in Ichthyology at the Museum, retiring in 2014 after 35 years of working there and then moving to Tasmania post-retirement and remaining very active in the above-mentioned positions. He is recognised internationally as a pioneer in unravelling the taxonomy, early life history dynamics and behaviour of larval fishes. Jeff’s research has been instrumental in challenging the view that in the dispersal of fish larvae, the larvae are essentially moving about passively at the mercy of ocean currents. In demonstrating that fish larvae are able to actively influence their trajectory and select where and when they settle, Jeff’s work resulted in a complete rethinking of fish larval movements. In this Part 1 we hear Jeff talk of his pathway into fish biology, with undergrad studies at the University of Arizona and then onto a PhD at University of Hawaii, and research examining the impacts of the thermal dynamics of power stations on planktonic communities (specifically ichthyoplankton), and also of the Queens Fellowship that opened the door to his long career at the Museum. Part 2 of Jeff's interview will feature in the next episode of the program.