Our Programs
We use your donations in four main waysOur Foundation’s reason for being is to conduct and support scientific research at the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS) and elsewhere on the Great Barrier Reef.
We channel our resources – your donations – into four programs.
Historically, providing research facilities at LIRS was our first priority. We have been doing that since the Foundation’s inception in 1978 and it remains a core commitment. The entire research station was either rebuilt or thoroughly refurbished under our 30th Anniversary Development program between 2005 and 2011. The station’s facilities are in excellent condition and our role now is to assist the Australian Museum to keep them that way by replacing equipment as necessary and providing funds for specific large maintenance projects. Development of Lizard Island Field Guide is part of this program.
The next program to be implemented was fellowships. This provides funding for researchers to get into the field to do their research, though a competitive process. The first doctoral fellowship was awarded in 1984 and the first fellowship for early career researchers was awarded in 2008. Now, each year we support up to five new awards for PhD students and up to four new awards for recent postdocs.
Research grants have been awarded periodically since 1998 for projects within specific themes. Current themes include mitigation of the impact of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on reefs, plastic pollution, long-term change on reefs, and discovering biodiversity though eDNA.
Education is the most recent of our programs. Schools and universities have based educational trips at LIRS for decades and they have all benefitted by our support of the infrastructure there. We are now in the process of supporting education at high school level directly. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has delayed the start of this exciting project.




Our Programs
Program 1 - Fellowships
We provide fellowships that support field-intensive coral reef research by PhD students and early-career researchers.
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Program 2 - Research grants
We provide grants for critical research that is often time-sensitive and for which funds may not be readily available from another source.
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Program 3 - Research facilities
We provide the facilities and equipment that underpin coral reef research and education at Lizard Island Research Station.
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Program 4 - Education
We provide educational opportunities for future researchers and their mentors at Lizard Island Research Station.
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Recent news from Lizard Island
Activities at Lizard Island Research Station
In this short video, shot from the Station, Anne Hoggett, LIRS Director shares her insights about...
Octopus pair at Lizard Island
On our last expedition to Jiigurru (Lizard Island), we were fortunate enough to witness a pair of...
The next Crown-of-Thorns Starfish outbreak is coming
Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) are natural members of coral reef communities and their numbers...
Lizard Island Coral Reef Study Tour 2022
Introduction by Kate Hayward, LIRRF Chair Back in 2019, the LIRRF undertook to support and fund an...
2022 Critical Research Grant awarded
The 2022 Lizard Island Critical Research Grant has been awarded to Prof. Andrew Baird of the ARC...
Damselfishes in colour
To anybody familiar with the coral reef systems of the Great Barrier Reef and their inhabitants,...
Contact
Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation
c/- Australian Museum
1 William Street, Sydney NSW 2010
admin@lirrf.org
Lizard Island Research Station
lizard@australian.museum
+61 (0)7 4060 3977
Weather & Ocean Observations
Latest Lizard Island Weather & Oceanic Observations from the AIMS Data Centre