Selina Ward

Dr. Selina Ward is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland's School of the Environment, with over three decades of research focused on coral reef ecology. Her work bridges marine biology, parasitology, and climate change impacts, contributing significantly to understanding reef resilience through extensive field studies and international collaborations across the Indo-Pacific region.

Her research centers on coral reproductive biology and symbiotic relationships, with key investigations into:

• Spawning dynamics and larval settlement under environmental stress
• Symbiodinium transmission mechanisms between coral life stages
• Herbivore-coral interactions (including sea hares and fish)
• Parasite-host coevolution in reef ecosystems
• Climate change impacts on bleaching and recovery processes

Analysis of her 29 publications (1992-2024) reveals evolving research trajectories from nutrient pollution effects (1990s) to contemporary climate resilience studies. Recent work emphasizes coral-algal competition dynamics, large-scale spawning databases, and artificial reef innovation, consistently highlighting the interplay between local stressors and global climate threats to reef survival.

Dr. Ward maintains active research collaborations with leading institutions including the Australian Coral Reef Society, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and global networks studying coral spawning phenology. Her work with the Brisbane Declaration team demonstrates engagement with environmental policy frameworks addressing freshwater ecosystem conservation.