Rate My Professor Thomas Wernberg

Professor Thomas Wernberg holds the position of Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Western Australia, where he is also an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow affiliated with the UWA Oceans Institute. He earned his MSc in Environmental Science by research from Roskilde University, Denmark, in 1998, and his PhD in Marine Botany from the University of Western Australia in 2003, awarded with distinction as one of the top 5% of theses at UWA. His academic career began with postdoctoral research fellowships at the Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, University of Adelaide (2004-2005), and the Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University (2005-2009), followed by roles at UWA including ARC Future Fellow in the School of Plant Biology (2011-2015), Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences (2015-2021), and his current professorship. Wernberg also serves as Principal Researcher at the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and Adjunct Professor at Roskilde University.

Wernberg's research centers on marine ecology, with primary interests in ecological interactions within shallow subtidal habitats, particularly temperate seaweed-dominated systems such as kelp forests. His work examines responses to environmental stressors including climate change, marine heatwaves, invasive species, eutrophication, range shifts, and tropicalization, while exploring solutions like restoration through techniques such as Green Gravel and the role of kelp in blue carbon sequestration. Key publications include 'Climate-driven regime shift of a temperate marine ecosystem' (Science, 2016), documenting kelp forest collapse in Western Australia following a marine heatwave; 'An extreme climatic event alters marine ecosystem structure in a global biodiversity hotspot' (Nature Climate Change, 2013); 'Impacts of climate change on marine foundation species' (Annual Review of Marine Science, 2024); and 'Marine heatwaves as hotspots of climate change and impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services' (Nature Reviews Biodiversity, 2025). He has produced 277 research outputs and leads major projects like 'The Great Southern Reef: Surviving and Thriving in the Anthropocene' under his 2024 ARC Laureate Fellowship, awarded over $3.6 million. Wernberg has received multiple Highly Cited Researcher awards from Clarivate Analytics (2019-2025), including in Environment/Ecology, Geosciences, and Cross-Field categories; was named Australia's top researcher in Marine Science & Fisheries (2024); and is a finalist for WA Scientist of the Year (2025 Premier's Science Awards). He chairs the UWA Boating & Diving Safety Committee, serves as Editor-in-Chief of Aquatic Botany, and holds associate editor roles for journals including Marine Ecology Progress Series, Journal of Phycology, and Frontiers in Marine Science.