About

Dr Cait Newport

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I am a research scientist studying the visual behaviour of fish with the hope of learning more about how their brains work. I have earned an undergraduate degree at Dalhousie University in Canada and a PhD at the University of Queensland in Australia. I currently hold a Marie Curie Research fellowship in the Spatial Cognition Group at the University of Oxford.

Typically, researchers have websites to connect with other researchers, collaborators and potential students. Scientific websites contain information about research interests, lab group members, and publications. All that information can be found on the main pages of this site.

This website also includes a blog. One of my personal goals is to ensure the research I do is accessible to the general public and to show people what a scientist actually does. I hope this will inspire children to think like a scientist and to appreciate the natural world around them. For that reason, I have created this blog. I will use this to post about the interesting and mundane activities involved in research with the hope of providing a snapshot of what a scientist does. This blog is intended for non-specialist audiences, although I am sure many scientists will relate to the trials and tribulations described.

Background

I obtained my BSc in 2007 at Dalhousie University, Canada. In 2008 I moved to Brisbane, Australia, and worked within several research groups at the University of Queensland as a research assistant. During this time I conducted research on the visual ecology of coral reef fish with Dr Karen Cheney and Prof. Justin Marshall, the effect of parasites on coral reef fish with Dr Alexandra Grutter and the role of body colouration in reef fish dominance hierarchies with Prof. Trond Amundsen. I then began a PhD under the supervision of Dr Ulrike Siebeck and Prof. Guy Wallis at the University of Queensland. I was awarded my PhD in 2015.

Current contact information

University of Oxford

Department of Zoology
Oxford, United Kingdom
Email: caitlin.newport@zoo.ox.ac.uk