Prof Paul Humphries
Charles Sturt University | School of Agricultural, Environmental & Veterinary Sciences
Paul has been studying the ecology and conservation of aquatic ecosystems for more than 40 years, and has published widely in the field of river ecology. His research has mostly related to the role of flow and floodplains in the life cycles of fishes and the history of environmental change in freshwater environments. He has a keen interest in historical ecology and the history of science generally. More recently, he has collaborated on the functional ecology and conservation of freshwater mussels. Paul has taught river ecology, animal diversity and research methods at Charles Sturt University, Albury NSW, since 2005 and has supervised many Honours and PhD students. He enjoys writing on a range of topics, including a blog on river research and ecology, the history of science, book reviews and, of course, river ecology. In 2013, he and co-editor Keith Walker edited and published Ecology of Australian Freshwater Fishes, 2013 (CSIRO Publishing) and in 2023 Paul published The Life and Times of the Murray cod (CSIRO Publishing). Another book, Carp in Australia, co-authored with Katie Doyle, is due for publication in 2026. When the whim takes him, Paul also interviews Australian freshwater scientists as part of his Youtube channel Rheophilia.
Looking backwards, looking forwards in freshwater science - Hillary Jolly Medal talk
Ever since I was a kid, I have been interested in the past. Early exposure to family history, archaeological digs and a love of reading historical fiction all fuelled the flames. But it took a back seat in my studies as I pursed an even greater passion for animals. When I became an ecologist, for a couple of decades the historical urge lay dormant. But an extended period of routine – and a little mundane – sampling in the late 1990s and early 2000s and a stint doing a weekly science spot on local ABC radio, provided the opportunity for my mind to wander and for the embers to flicker into life again. My two passions started to converge. I found myself following up obscure references in the history of science and trotting happily down and up rabbit holes. A Harold White Fellowship at the National Library of Australia in 2005 allowed me to indulge myself further, following up all conceivable approaches to understanding the past freshwater environment in Australia and especially the Murray-Darling Basin. This set me on the course to pursue research in zooarchaeology, palaeoecology and historical ecology, more generally, while also continuing with contemporary ecology. My interests were partly motivated by curiosity and partly by wondering how we could learn from the past to understand the present and perhaps even inform what approaches we take in the future. I have been successful in the former – satisfying my curiosity, I mean – but I am not sure how I have fared in the latter. It is a great honour to have received the Hillary Jolly Medal by the AFSS. I will try to do justice to the award by giving you a potted history of my work, describing who and what have inspired me and by sharing my passion for history and ecology.