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Dr Fabio Cortesi

UQ Amplify Lecturer

School of the Environment
Faculty of Science

UQ Amplify Fellow

Queensland Brain Institute
f.cortesi@uq.edu.au

Overview

Doctor Cortesi was awarded a Bachelor of Science with a Major in Plant and Animal Biology from the University of Basel, Switzerland, in 2008. He completed a Bachelor of Science with 1st Class Honours in Marine Biology in 2009 at the University of Queensland, Australia, researching the colourful displays and toxic defences of sea slugs. He then received a PhD with Summa Cum Laude in Zoology in 2014 from the University of Basel, Switzerland, studying the molecular and behavioural function of colourful signals in coral reef fishes.

After completing his remaining Swiss National Service duties, Doctor Cortesi moved to Australia in 2015 to start a short-term postdoctoral appointment at the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Queensland. Upon winning prestigious postdoctoral Fellowships from the Swiss National Science Foundation and the University of Queensland, he transferred to the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) in early 2016, where he developed his leadership skills under the supervision of Emr. Professor Justin Marshall. In 2020, Dr Cortesi received an ARC DECRA Fellowship, which enabled him to start his junior group under the mentorship of Emr. Prof. Marshall and A/Prof Karen Cheney from The School of the Environment (SENV), UQ. Beginning in 2023, he leads the greater Sensory Neuroscience Lab between QBI and SENV as part of UQ's Marine Sensory Ecology Group.

His research is, amongst others, funded by the SeaWorld Research and Rescue Foundation and the ARC.

Doctor Cortesi's main interests lie in the forces, from molecule to environment, which shape natural biodiversity. Focusing on the evolution of visual systems in fishes and cephalopods, he is trying to understand how other animals perceive the world, how this contributes to the formation of colours and patterns and how this can lead to species diversity. He uses various methods to understand how vision shapes single species and whole communities, including single-cell sequencing, transgenesis experiments, neurophysiological assessments of visual systems and behavioural experimentation.

Research Interests

  • Visual Ecology, Evolution, Genomics, Transcriptomics, Behaviour, Neurethology, Molecular Ecology, Fish

Research Impacts

Doctor Cortesi's work has significantly contributed to understanding how animals other than humans see their world. Using the latest molecular, imaging and behavioural approaches, his research sheds light on the various aspects of animal visual ecology, including using colours for display, camouflage, etc. and the evolution of visual and non-visual photoreceptors.

His work has been published both as part of the peer-reviewed Scientific Literature (43 papers; 1x Science, 1x Current Biology, 1x Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences USA) as well as Popular Science Articles (7 articles totalling > 150,000 readers/views since Jan 2015). Most recently, he has contributed to the popular science book 'Color in Nature' published by Princeton Press and co-authored by visual ecology leaders. Doctor Cortesi's articles have further experienced substantial media coverage (> 200 articles), including from The New York Times, The LA and Washington Post, BBC Earth, BBC Wildlife, Spiegel Online, Howard Hughes Image of the Week, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Cosmos Magazine, Blick am Abend, ORF.at, The Conversation, Totally Wild - Australian Network Ten, Canadian Broadcasting Radio, Swedish National Radio. He also regularly consults for blue-chip nature documentaries on using colour and colour vision in animals, such as Sir David Attenborough's recent documentary 'Life in colour'.

Qualifications

  • Doctoral Diploma, Universitat Basel

Publications

  • Journal Article: Ultraviolet vision in anemonefish improves colour discrimination

    Mitchell, Laurie J., Phelan, Amelia, Cortesi, Fabio, Marshall, N. Justin, Chung, Wen-sung, Osorio, Daniel C. and Cheney, Karen L. (2024). Ultraviolet vision in anemonefish improves colour discrimination. Journal of Experimental Biology, 227 (7) ARTN jeb247425. doi: 10.1242/jeb.247425

  • Journal Article: Multiple rod layers increase the speed and sensitivity of vision in nocturnal reef fishes

    Fogg, Lily G., Chung, Wen-Sung, Justin Marshall, N., Cortesi, Fabio and de Busserolles, Fanny (2023). Multiple rod layers increase the speed and sensitivity of vision in nocturnal reef fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 290 (2011) 20231749, 1-9. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1749

  • Journal Article: The evolution of the green-light-sensitive visual opsin genes (RH2) in teleost fishes

    Musilova, Zuzana and Cortesi, Fabio (2023). The evolution of the green-light-sensitive visual opsin genes (RH2) in teleost fishes. Vision Research, 206 108204, 1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2023.108204

  • Book Chapter: The Use of Modern Genetic Tools in Anemonefishes

    Mitchell, Laurie John Lee, Yamanaka, Sakuto, Kinoshita, Masato and Cortesi, Fabio (2022). The Use of Modern Genetic Tools in Anemonefishes. Evolution, Development and Ecology of Anemonefishes. (pp. 41-52) Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003125365-6

  • Book Chapter: The Visual Ecology of Anemonefishes

    Cortesi, Fabio, Tettamanti, Valerio and Busserolles, Fanny de (2022). The Visual Ecology of Anemonefishes. Evolution, Development and Ecology of Anemonefishes. (pp. 87-94) Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003125365-11

  • Journal Article: CRISPR/Cas9-mediated generation of biallelic F0 anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) mutants

    Mitchell, Laurie J., Tettamanti, Valerio, Rhodes, Justin S., Marshall, N. Justin, Cheney, Karen L. and Cortesi, Fabio (2021). CRISPR/Cas9-mediated generation of biallelic F0 anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) mutants. PLoS One, 16 (12) e0261331, e0261331. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261331

  • Journal Article: The visual opsin gene repertoires of teleost fishes: evolution, ecology, and function

    Musilova, Zuzana, Salzburger, Walter and Cortesi, Fabio (2021). The visual opsin gene repertoires of teleost fishes: evolution, ecology, and function. Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, 37 (1), 441-468. doi: 10.1146/annurev-cellbio-120219-024915

  • Journal Article: Visual system diversity in coral reef fishes

    Cortesi, Fabio, Mitchell, Laurie J., Tettamanti, Valerio, Fogg, Lily G., de Busserolles, Fanny, Cheney, Karen L. and Marshall, N. Justin (2020). Visual system diversity in coral reef fishes. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, 106, 31-42. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.06.007

  • Journal Article: Visual system development of the spotted unicornfish, Naso brevirostris (Acanthuridae)

    Tettamanti, Valerio, de Busserolles, Fanny, Lecchini, David, Marshall, N. Justin and Cortesi, Fabio (2019). Visual system development of the spotted unicornfish, Naso brevirostris (Acanthuridae). The Journal of Experimental Biology, 222 (24) jeb209916, jeb.209916. doi: 10.1242/jeb.209916

  • Journal Article: Vision using multiple distinct rod opsins in deep-sea fishes

    Musilova, Zuzana, Cortesi, Fabio, Matschiner, Michael, Davies, Wayne I. L., Patel, Jagdish Suresh, Stieb, Sara M., de Busserolles, Fanny, Malmstrøm, Martin, Tørresen, Ole K., Brown, Celeste J., Mountford, Jessica K., Hanel, Reinhold, Stenkamp, Deborah L., Jakobsen, Kjetill S., Carleton, Karen L., Jentoft, Sissel, Marshall, Justin and Salzburger, Walter (2019). Vision using multiple distinct rod opsins in deep-sea fishes. Science, 364 (6440), 588-592. doi: 10.1126/science.aav4632

  • Journal Article: Pushing the limits of photoreception in twilight conditions: the rod-like cone retina of the deep-sea pearlsides

    de Busserolles, Fanny, Cortesi, Fabio, Helvik, Jon Vidar, Davies, Wayne I. L., Templin, Rachel M., Sullivan, Robert K. P., Michell, Craig T., Mountford, Jessica K., Collin, Shaun P., Irigoien, Xabier, Kaartvedt, Stein and Marshall, Justin (2017). Pushing the limits of photoreception in twilight conditions: the rod-like cone retina of the deep-sea pearlsides. Science Advances, 3 (11) eaao4709, eaao4709. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aao4709

  • Journal Article: Phenotypic Plasticity Confers Multiple Fitness Benefits to a Mimic

    Cortesi, Fabio, Feeney, William E., Ferrari, Maud C. O., Waldie, Peter A., Phillips, Genevieve A. C., McClure, Eva C., Skold, Helen N., Salzburger, Walter, Marshall, N. Justin and Cheney, Karen L. (2015). Phenotypic Plasticity Confers Multiple Fitness Benefits to a Mimic. Current Biology, 25 (7), 949-954. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.02.013

  • Journal Article: Ancestral duplications and highly dynamic opsin gene evolution in percomorph fishes

    Cortesi, Fabio, Musilová, Zuzana, Stieb, Sara M., Hart, Nathan S., Siebeck, Ulrike E., Malmstrøm, Martin, Tørresen, Ole K., Jentoft, Sissel, Cheney, Karen L., Marshall, N. Justin, Carleton, Karen L. and Salzburger, Walter (2015). Ancestral duplications and highly dynamic opsin gene evolution in percomorph fishes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112 (5), 1493-1498. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1417803112

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Grants

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Supervision

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Available Projects

  • The evolution of colour vision in coral reef fish - from molecule to behaviour

View all Available Projects

Publications

Featured Publications

  • Ultraviolet vision in anemonefish improves colour discrimination

    Mitchell, Laurie J., Phelan, Amelia, Cortesi, Fabio, Marshall, N. Justin, Chung, Wen-sung, Osorio, Daniel C. and Cheney, Karen L. (2024). Ultraviolet vision in anemonefish improves colour discrimination. Journal of Experimental Biology, 227 (7) ARTN jeb247425. doi: 10.1242/jeb.247425

  • Multiple rod layers increase the speed and sensitivity of vision in nocturnal reef fishes

    Fogg, Lily G., Chung, Wen-Sung, Justin Marshall, N., Cortesi, Fabio and de Busserolles, Fanny (2023). Multiple rod layers increase the speed and sensitivity of vision in nocturnal reef fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 290 (2011) 20231749, 1-9. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1749

  • The evolution of the green-light-sensitive visual opsin genes (RH2) in teleost fishes

    Musilova, Zuzana and Cortesi, Fabio (2023). The evolution of the green-light-sensitive visual opsin genes (RH2) in teleost fishes. Vision Research, 206 108204, 1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2023.108204

  • The Use of Modern Genetic Tools in Anemonefishes

    Mitchell, Laurie John Lee, Yamanaka, Sakuto, Kinoshita, Masato and Cortesi, Fabio (2022). The Use of Modern Genetic Tools in Anemonefishes. Evolution, Development and Ecology of Anemonefishes. (pp. 41-52) Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003125365-6

  • The Visual Ecology of Anemonefishes

    Cortesi, Fabio, Tettamanti, Valerio and Busserolles, Fanny de (2022). The Visual Ecology of Anemonefishes. Evolution, Development and Ecology of Anemonefishes. (pp. 87-94) Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003125365-11

  • CRISPR/Cas9-mediated generation of biallelic F0 anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) mutants

    Mitchell, Laurie J., Tettamanti, Valerio, Rhodes, Justin S., Marshall, N. Justin, Cheney, Karen L. and Cortesi, Fabio (2021). CRISPR/Cas9-mediated generation of biallelic F0 anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) mutants. PLoS One, 16 (12) e0261331, e0261331. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261331

  • The visual opsin gene repertoires of teleost fishes: evolution, ecology, and function

    Musilova, Zuzana, Salzburger, Walter and Cortesi, Fabio (2021). The visual opsin gene repertoires of teleost fishes: evolution, ecology, and function. Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, 37 (1), 441-468. doi: 10.1146/annurev-cellbio-120219-024915

  • Visual system diversity in coral reef fishes

    Cortesi, Fabio, Mitchell, Laurie J., Tettamanti, Valerio, Fogg, Lily G., de Busserolles, Fanny, Cheney, Karen L. and Marshall, N. Justin (2020). Visual system diversity in coral reef fishes. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, 106, 31-42. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.06.007

  • Visual system development of the spotted unicornfish, Naso brevirostris (Acanthuridae)

    Tettamanti, Valerio, de Busserolles, Fanny, Lecchini, David, Marshall, N. Justin and Cortesi, Fabio (2019). Visual system development of the spotted unicornfish, Naso brevirostris (Acanthuridae). The Journal of Experimental Biology, 222 (24) jeb209916, jeb.209916. doi: 10.1242/jeb.209916

  • Vision using multiple distinct rod opsins in deep-sea fishes

    Musilova, Zuzana, Cortesi, Fabio, Matschiner, Michael, Davies, Wayne I. L., Patel, Jagdish Suresh, Stieb, Sara M., de Busserolles, Fanny, Malmstrøm, Martin, Tørresen, Ole K., Brown, Celeste J., Mountford, Jessica K., Hanel, Reinhold, Stenkamp, Deborah L., Jakobsen, Kjetill S., Carleton, Karen L., Jentoft, Sissel, Marshall, Justin and Salzburger, Walter (2019). Vision using multiple distinct rod opsins in deep-sea fishes. Science, 364 (6440), 588-592. doi: 10.1126/science.aav4632

  • Pushing the limits of photoreception in twilight conditions: the rod-like cone retina of the deep-sea pearlsides

    de Busserolles, Fanny, Cortesi, Fabio, Helvik, Jon Vidar, Davies, Wayne I. L., Templin, Rachel M., Sullivan, Robert K. P., Michell, Craig T., Mountford, Jessica K., Collin, Shaun P., Irigoien, Xabier, Kaartvedt, Stein and Marshall, Justin (2017). Pushing the limits of photoreception in twilight conditions: the rod-like cone retina of the deep-sea pearlsides. Science Advances, 3 (11) eaao4709, eaao4709. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aao4709

  • Phenotypic Plasticity Confers Multiple Fitness Benefits to a Mimic

    Cortesi, Fabio, Feeney, William E., Ferrari, Maud C. O., Waldie, Peter A., Phillips, Genevieve A. C., McClure, Eva C., Skold, Helen N., Salzburger, Walter, Marshall, N. Justin and Cheney, Karen L. (2015). Phenotypic Plasticity Confers Multiple Fitness Benefits to a Mimic. Current Biology, 25 (7), 949-954. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.02.013

  • Ancestral duplications and highly dynamic opsin gene evolution in percomorph fishes

    Cortesi, Fabio, Musilová, Zuzana, Stieb, Sara M., Hart, Nathan S., Siebeck, Ulrike E., Malmstrøm, Martin, Tørresen, Ole K., Jentoft, Sissel, Cheney, Karen L., Marshall, N. Justin, Carleton, Karen L. and Salzburger, Walter (2015). Ancestral duplications and highly dynamic opsin gene evolution in percomorph fishes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112 (5), 1493-1498. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1417803112

Book Chapter

  • The Use of Modern Genetic Tools in Anemonefishes

    Mitchell, Laurie John Lee, Yamanaka, Sakuto, Kinoshita, Masato and Cortesi, Fabio (2022). The Use of Modern Genetic Tools in Anemonefishes. Evolution, Development and Ecology of Anemonefishes. (pp. 41-52) Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003125365-6

  • The Visual Ecology of Anemonefishes

    Cortesi, Fabio, Tettamanti, Valerio and Busserolles, Fanny de (2022). The Visual Ecology of Anemonefishes. Evolution, Development and Ecology of Anemonefishes. (pp. 87-94) Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003125365-11

  • Marine fishes

    Williams, Samuel M., Holmes, Bonnie J., Barnett, Adam, Rogers, Troy, Fetterplace, Lachlan, Middleton, Heather, Mitchell, Jonathan, Sih, Tiffany, Harasti, David, Sheaves, Marcus, Henderson, Christopher J., Tibbetts, Ian R., Mitchell, Laurie , Martin, Tyson, Pepperell, Julian, Moore, Andy, Skelton, Megan, Taylor, Matthew, Gilby, Ben L., Chargulaf, Craig, Cortesi, Fabio, Currey-Randall, Leanne M., Tracey, Sean, Rabbitt, Sheridan and Campbell, Matthew (2022). Marine fishes. Wildlife research in Australia: practical and applied methods. (pp. 519-542) edited by Bradley Smith, Helen Waudby, Corinne Alberthsen and Jordan Hampton. Clayton South, VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. doi: 10.1071/9781486313457

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

  • Data for: Seeing Picasso: an investigation into the visual system of the triggerfish, Rhinecanthus aculeatus

    Cheney, Karen , de Busserolles, Fanny, Luehrmann, Martin , Shaughnessy, Abigail , van den Berg, Cedric, Green, Naomi , Marshall, Justin and Cortesi, Fabio (2022). Data for: Seeing Picasso: an investigation into the visual system of the triggerfish, Rhinecanthus aculeatus. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/bb0f237

  • Higher ultraviolet skin reflectance signals submissiveness in the anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos

    Mitchell, Laurie J. , Cortesi, Fabio, Marshall, Justin N. and Cheney, Karen L. (2022). Higher ultraviolet skin reflectance signals submissiveness in the anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos. Dryad. (Dataset) doi: 10.5061/dryad.kwh70rz6t

  • Gene-editing in anemonefish

    Cortesi, Fabio, Dunn, Simon, Cheney, Karen, Powell, Samuel, Tettamanti, Valerio, Mitchell, Laurie, Luehrmann, Martin, van den Berg, Cedric, Green, Naomi and Mailer, Chelsea (2021). Gene-editing in anemonefish. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/ddf0baa

  • GBE anemonefish visual gene supporting data

    Cortesi, Fabio, Dunn, Simon, Cheney, Karen, Powell, Samuel, Tettamanti, Valerio, Mitchell, Laurie, Luehrmann, Martin, van den Berg, Cedric, Green, Naomi and Mailer, Chelsea (2021). GBE anemonefish visual gene supporting data. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.14264/673b710

  • A 5-channel LED display to investigate UV perception

    Powell, Samuel, Mitchell, Laurie J., Phelan, A. M. , Cortesi, Fabio, Marshall, Justin N. and Cheney, Karen L. (2020). A 5-channel LED display to investigate UV perception. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.14264/3e1e21e

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • The evolution of colour vision in coral reef fish - from molecule to behaviour

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

Visual Ecology, Evolution, Fish, Vision, Molecular Ecology, Neuroethology, Animal Colour, Marine Biology

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: A-5688-2017

ORCID: 0000-0002-7518-6159

Scopus ID: 36500621100

Google Scholar ID: MYggUE4AAAAJ

Personal Profile: Link

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