Catherine Sheppard

I see myself as a behavioural ecologist in a marine world, applying behavioural theory and lessons learned from terrestrial systems to coral reefs in new and creative ways. 

My current research focuses on how fine-scale structural complexity affects coral reef fish across ecological levels – from individual cognition and space use to predator-prey interactions and species distributions. This work is co-hosted by the Elizabeth Madin Lab (https://www.oceansphere.org) and the Geometric Ecology Lab (https://jmadinlab.github.io) at the Hawaiian Institute of Marine Biology, where I am privileged to spend my time several months a year.

Alongside members of the Behavioural Complexity Lab, I also help develop artificial intelligence tools to monitor biodiversity and behaviour on coral reefs. I enjoy experimenting with and using novel technologies to open new avenues of research and strive to use open-source and cost-effective tools to ensure my methods are accessible and reduce barriers to participation in ecological research. 

I received my PhD from Lancaster University, UK, where I studied the role of aggressive territorial farming damselfish Stegastes in mediating the spatial distribution and behaviour of other reef inhabitants. Despite numerous damselfish ‘attacks’, I still carry a deep love for these feisty fish.

I love to run and travel, and generally enjoy any activity that involves being in, on, or near water. I am also a keen baker and try to bring weekend bakes to the office to brighten up Monday mornings.

E-mail: cesheppard@ciencias.ulisboa.pt; ces4@hawaii.edu

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3Xqu-dIAAAAJ&hl=pt-PT&oi=ao 

Publications:

C.E. Sheppard, L. Boström-Einarsson, G.J. Williams, D.A Exton, S.A. Keith(2024) Variation in farming damselfish behaviour creates a competitive landscape of risk on coral reefs. Biology Letters 20:20240035

C. E. Sheppard, G. J. Williams, D. A. Exton, S. A. Keith (2023) Co-occurrence of herbivorous fish functional groups correlates with enhanced coral reef benthic state. Global Ecol Biogeogr. Open Access

C. E. Sheppard, R. Heaphy, M. A. Cant, H. H. Marshall (2021) Individual foraging specialization in group-living species. Anim Behav 182: 285-294 Link

C. E. Sheppard, H. H. Marshall, R. Inger, F. J. Thompson, E. I. K. Vitikainen, S. Barker, H. J. Nichols, D. A. Wells, R. A. McDonald, M. A. Cant (2018) Decoupling of Genetic and Cultural Inheritance in a Wild Mammal. Curr Biol 28(11): 1846-1850 Open Access

C. E. Sheppard, R. Inger, R. A. McDonald, S. Barker, A. L. Jackson, F. J. Thompson, E. I. K. Vitikainen, M. A. Cant, H. H. Marshall (2018) Intragroup competition predicts individual foraging specialisation in a group‐living mammal. Ecol Lett 21(5): 665-673 Open Access

Catherine's work is supported through an International Human Frontier Science Program Postdoctoral Fellowship entitled “Determining the role of fine-scale structural complexity in animal behaviour in a changing ocean” ID. LT0035/2025-L, and the project "ATLANTICDIVERSA – Use emergent technologies to understand the role of cleaning mutualisms in Atlantic biodiversity conservation" Ref. 2024/0028 funded by FLAD - Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento