Dr. Alice Rogers (she/her)

Senior Lecturer in Fisheries Biology
Director, Victoria University Coastal Ecology Lab

Alice is a marine ecologist and quantitative fisheries scientist. She leads the MEEM Lab and the Coastal Ecology Lab at Victoria University of Wellington. Her research focuses on how climate change, fisheries, and other stressors impact coastal ecosystems, and how management can be improved to ensure these ecosystems survive and thrive for future generations. Alice completed her PhD at Imperial College London in 2011, studying the population dynamics of Caribbean sea urchins. Originally from central England, she has worked and dived in the UK, Honduras, French Polynesia, Australia, and New Zealand. Alice is passionate about interdisciplinary, collaborative science and works closely with iwi, government, and community partners. She is committed to mentoring students and fostering equity and diversity in marine science. Alice’s favourite fish is the harlequin sweetlips (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides).

Current Lab Members

Postdoctoral Researchers & Research Assistants

Chelsey Beese (she/her)

Chelsey completed her PhD with the MEEM Lab in 2024 and now works with the group as a research assistant. Her research spans tropical to temperate systems, investigating trophodynamics in structurally complex marine ecosystems by integrating field data into ecosystem models, including work on the MEEM lab’s Marsden project on temperate mesophotic ecosystems. She is also a postdoctoral scholar with the Integrated Marine Fisheries Lab at Oregon State University. Her favourite reef fish is the mandarin dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus).

PhD Candidates

Anna Resende (she/her)

Anna is a PhD student in the MEEM lab studying sedimentation and triplefin fish. Her research focuses on the effects of marine heatwaves and suspended sediment on common coastal New Zealand fish, combining field experiments and ecological modelling to understand how environmental stressors impact fish behaviour and survival.

Masters Students

Jamie Lee (they/them)

Jamie is a master’s student in the MEEM lab, investigating the impacts of urban runoff on temperate reef fish communities. Their research combines field surveys and statistical modelling to understand how pollution affects fish diversity and ecosystem health. Jamie is passionate about marine conservation and enjoys diving in Wellington’s coastal waters.

Past Members

Dr. Manon Broadribb (2020 - 2025)
Danielle Willis-Kaio (2022 - 2024)
Dr. Francesca Strano (2024 - 2024)
Callum Long (2020 - 2022)

Victoria Carrington (2018 - 2022)
Andy Chang (2018 - 2021)
Baylee Wade (2018 - 2020)