What it's like to do PhD research at Heron Island?
Living and working on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef
Devin Rowell first visited Heron Island Research Station (HIRS) during her Master of Conservation Biology at UQ. The island stayed with her long after that trip ended.
"It's safe to say the island captured my heart on that first trip," says Devin. "I knew I would love to come back to conduct research there again one day."
A year after completing her master's, she did exactly that, returning to Heron as a PhD researcher as part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program. Her project looked at why young corals die, how competition and predation play a role, and what that means for restoration efforts. The experiments were hands-on, time-sensitive, and required her to be on the reef every day. That made Heron, with its laboratories, research vessels, and direct reef access, the only place the work could realistically happen.
Coral reef restoration is often framed as a race against time. For Devin, being on Heron put her right at the heart of it.
The research
Devin's PhD investigated how competition and predation affect juvenile coral survival, and how restoration efforts can be designed to give coral fragments the best possible chance when they're outplanted back onto the reef.
The project involved 4 in-situ experiments, each requiring her to collect and fragment coral on the reef slope, bring samples back to the lab, and return to her sites multiple times daily during peak experiment periods.
"Having easy access to the reef every day was invaluable," Devin says. "My sites were about 5 to 10 minutes via boat from the harbour, and we would typically dive them multiple times a day. If we had been travelling from the mainland each day it would have added hours to our days and prolonged the length of our field trips, adding even more exhaustion to the gruelling work we were already doing."
Sunrise/set snorkels were a regular part of the day for Devin. Credit: Devin Rowell
Sunrise/set snorkels were a regular part of the day for Devin. Credit: Devin Rowell
Devin got an up-close look at the reef. Credit: Devin Rowell.
Devin got an up-close look at the reef. Credit: Devin Rowell.
A day on the island
The only predictable thing about a day at the station was that it would end in the water.
"They usually started with getting prepped in the research lab or loading dive gear on the boat to go out and collect data at my sites," Devin says. On quieter days spent processing data, the team made a point of getting into the water anyway.
"When we had dry days where we spent all our time in the lab or on our computers crunching data, we would try to fit in a sunrise or sunset snorkel to take advantage of any good weather and visibility. You never knew what you would see in the water."
What the station makes possible
The station's saltwater system was central to Devin's experiments. Corals are sensitive to changes in their environment, and being able to pipe water directly from the reef slope into the research labs meant she could keep collected specimens healthy between field sessions.
"Being able to source water directly from the reef slope into the research labs was amazing," she says. "I would be able to set up tanks on land, easily fill them with fresh saltwater, go collect my corals, and bring them back to their temporary home in the lab without having to stress too much over their survival."
That kind of seamless connection between field and lab, she says, is something that simply can't be replicated from a mainland campus.
The community
For Devin, the people at HIRS were just as important as the facilities.
"The staff were all so knowledgeable and supportive, keeping us safe and sane during the long stints I spent on the island for my experiments," she says.
The researchers she met during her time on Heron have become lasting connections. "Living alongside researchers from all over the world focused on all different topics was a unique experience. There were many dinners spent in the research kitchen swapping stories or learning about each other's fields. I still keep up with many of the researchers I met, and it is always nice reminiscing when we see each other at conferences or even back on Heron Island."
Watching the island change across seasons and years became one of the most meaningful parts of her PhD. "It was special to be able to visit at different points over the years and see how the island had changed, what wildlife had arrived or left for their migration, and if we were lucky, see turtle hatchlings racing for the ocean."
But Heron also showed her its harder side. In her final PhD year, a hot summer triggered a bleaching event that devastated one of her experiments.
"It was extremely confronting seeing a place I love so much going through such a devastating mortality event," Devin says. The community she'd built on Heron helped her through it. Together, the group collaborated on a research paper documenting the value of working together to monitor the threats facing coral reefs. "It was the community of researchers I had met on Heron that helped me through that time."
HIRS researchers have unmatched access to the reef. Credit: Devin Rowell.
HIRS researchers have unmatched access to the reef. Credit: Devin Rowell.
Devin's father even headed out to HIRS to help with her research. Credit: Devin Rowell.
Devin's father even headed out to HIRS to help with her research. Credit: Devin Rowell.
Is Heron Island right for your project?
For any student or researcher unsure whether Heron Island is the right fit, Devin's answer is clear.
"There is truly no place like Heron Island. You are living and working on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef," she says. "The island will quickly become your home and serve as a constant source of inspiration for your work, regardless of your study subject."
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