Dr Wen-Sung Chung
Dr

Wen-Sung Chung

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 54089

Background

I have a long track record in cephalopod biology, as a taxonomist (Guide to the Cephalopods of Taiwan), scientific diver, visual neuroscientist, brain imaging pioneer in cephalopods. My work has deepened our understanding of morphological and functional adaptations of the fish and cephalopod visual system in the marine environment and shown ecological links to ambient light and behavioural tasks. I am also at the forefront of high-resolution MRI-based imaging technology tailored explicitly for studying cephalopod brains. My recent work has established analysis protocols to investigate the gross neuroanatomy and underlying neural networks amongst cephalopods (octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus).

Availability

Dr Wen-Sung Chung is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Animal neurobiology Biological Sciences Biological adaptation Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Environmental Sciences Evolutionary biology Invertebrate biology Neurosciences Zoology

Qualifications

  • Doctoral Diploma of Neurological Sciences, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Cephalopod visual ecology

  • Cephalopod neurobiology

  • Cephalopod diversity

  • Deep-sea ecology

  • Electrophysiology

Research impacts

My work has led to novel discoveries of the cephalopod brain layout and heterogeneity of neuroanatomical features linked to their life modes. This is a game changer in researching the most complex invertebrate nervous system by disentangling inter-woven neural fibres into discrete bundles related to specific functional circuits rather than simply anatomically concomitant ones. Furthermore, the structural and connection maps provide a foundation for studying functional morphology and interactions between these intelligent animals' brain regions, motor outputs, and behaviours.

Search Professor Wen-Sung Chung’s works on UQ eSpace

30 works between 2008 and 2025
All (30) Book (1) Journal Article (25) Other Outputs (3) Conference Publication (1)

1 - 20 of 30 works

Featured

2025

Journal Article

A balanced approach to the potential of octopus aquaculture

Gleadall, Ian G., Villanueva, Roger, Barord, Gregory J., Doubleday, Zoe, Aguado-Giménez, Felipe, Akiyama, Nobuhiko, Almansa, Eduardo, Ames, Cheryl L., Arkhipkin, Alexander, Avendaño, Otilio, Barrett, Chris, Bello, Giambattista, Bower, John R., Braga, Ramiro, Briceño, Felipe A., Bustamante, Paco, Caamal-Monsreal, Claudia, Cabanellas-Reboredo, Miguel, Carrasco, Sergio A., Castellanos-Martínez, Sheila, Valverde, Jesús Cerezo, Che, Leo Ji-Ho, Chung, Wen-Sung (Sustainable Cephalopod Aquaculture and Welfare Group member), Dan, Shigeki, Díaz-Santana-Iturrios, Mariana, Domingues, Pedro, Durante, Erica Donlon, Escánez, Alejandro, Espinoza, Viviana ... Zoral, Mehmet Arif (2025). A balanced approach to the potential of octopus aquaculture. Marine Policy, 179 106682, 1-3. doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106682

A balanced approach to the potential of octopus aquaculture

Featured

2025

Journal Article

Wen-Sung Chung

Chung, Wen-Sung (2025). Wen-Sung Chung. Current biology : CB, 35 (16), R785-R787. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.025

Wen-Sung Chung

Featured

2025

Journal Article

Blue-lined octopus Hapalochlaena fasciata males envenomate females to facilitate copulation

Chung, Wen-Sung, Kurniawan, Nyoman D., Marshall, N. Justin and Cortesi, Fabio (2025). Blue-lined octopus Hapalochlaena fasciata males envenomate females to facilitate copulation. Current Biology, 35 (5), R169-R170. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.027

Blue-lined octopus Hapalochlaena fasciata males envenomate females to facilitate copulation

Featured

2023

Journal Article

The brain structure and the neural network features of the diurnal cuttlefish Sepia plangon

Chung, Wen-Sung, López-Galán, Alejandra, Kurniawan, Nyoman D. and Marshall, N. Justin (2023). The brain structure and the neural network features of the diurnal cuttlefish Sepia plangon. iScience, 26 (1) 105846, 1-18. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105846

The brain structure and the neural network features of the diurnal cuttlefish Sepia plangon

Featured

2021

Journal Article

Comparative brain structure and visual processing in octopus from different habitats

Chung, Wen-Sung, Kurniawan, Nyoman D. and Marshall, N. Justin (2021). Comparative brain structure and visual processing in octopus from different habitats. Current Biology, 32 (1), 97-110.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.070

Comparative brain structure and visual processing in octopus from different habitats

Featured

2020

Journal Article

Toward an MRI-based mesoscale connectome of the squid brain

Chung, Wen-Sung, Kurniawan, Nyoman D. and Marshall, N. Justin (2020). Toward an MRI-based mesoscale connectome of the squid brain. iScience, 23 (1) 100816, 100816. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.100816

Toward an MRI-based mesoscale connectome of the squid brain

Featured

2017

Book

Guide to the cephalopods of Taiwan

Lu, Chung-Cheng and Chung, Wen-Sung (2017). Guide to the cephalopods of Taiwan. Taichung, Taiwan: National Museum of Natural Science.

Guide to the cephalopods of Taiwan

Featured

2016

Journal Article

Comparative visual ecology of cephalopods from different habitats

Chung, Wen-Sung and Marshall, N. Justin (2016). Comparative visual ecology of cephalopods from different habitats. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283 (1838) 20161346, 20161346. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1346

Comparative visual ecology of cephalopods from different habitats

Featured

2014

Journal Article

Ocean acidification slows retinal function in a damselfish through interference with GABAA receptors

Chung, Wen-Sung, Marshall, N. Justin, Watson, Sue-Ann, Munday, Philip L. and Nilsson, Goran E. (2014). Ocean acidification slows retinal function in a damselfish through interference with GABAA receptors. Journal of Experimental Biology, 217 (3), 323-326. doi: 10.1242/jeb.092478

Ocean acidification slows retinal function in a damselfish through interference with GABAA receptors

2025

Journal Article

Squirting ink may play a role in the copulation of the pygmy squid

Sato, Noriyosi, Tanabe, Ryohei, Chung, Wen-Sung, Yamada, Mizuki, Nakayama, Arata and Iwata, Yoko (2025). Squirting ink may play a role in the copulation of the pygmy squid. Journal of Ethology, 43 (2), 53-56. doi: 10.1007/s10164-024-00829-1

Squirting ink may play a role in the copulation of the pygmy squid

2025

Journal Article

Octopus body language: body patterns of Abdopus capricornicus during social interactions

Scatà, Gabriella, Marshall, N. Justin and Chung, Wen-Sung (2025). Octopus body language: body patterns of Abdopus capricornicus during social interactions. Marine Biology, 172 (2) 37, 1-26. doi: 10.1007/s00227-024-04591-3

Octopus body language: body patterns of Abdopus capricornicus during social interactions

2025

Other Outputs

Blue-lined octopus copulation

Chung, Wen-Sung and Kurniawan, Nyoman (2025). Blue-lined octopus copulation. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/56cf71f

Blue-lined octopus copulation

2024

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) jeb247425. doi: 10.1242/jeb.247425

Ultraviolet vision in anemonefish improves colour discrimination

2023

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

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

2022

Journal Article

Diversity and evolution of optically complex eyes in a family of deep-sea fish: ocular diverticula in barreleye spookfish (Opisthoproctidae)

Wagner, Hans-Joachim, Genner, Martin J., Partridge, Julian C., Chung, Wen-Sung, Marshall, N. Justin, Robison, Bruce H. and Douglas, Ronald H. (2022). Diversity and evolution of optically complex eyes in a family of deep-sea fish: ocular diverticula in barreleye spookfish (Opisthoproctidae). Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10 1044565. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1044565

Diversity and evolution of optically complex eyes in a family of deep-sea fish: ocular diverticula in barreleye spookfish (Opisthoproctidae)

2022

Journal Article

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

Fogg, Lily G. , Chung, Wen-Sung , Cortesi, Fabio , Marshall, N. Justin and de Busserolles, Fanny (2022). Multiple rod layers increase the speed and sensitivity of vision in nocturnal reef fishes.

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

2022

Other Outputs

Cuttlefish brains and tractography

Chung, Wen-Sung and Kurniawan, Nyoman (2022). Cuttlefish brains and tractography. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/0f9fcbe

Cuttlefish brains and tractography

2020

Journal Article

Dynamic courtship signals and mate preferences in Sepia plangon

López Galán, Alejandra, Chung, Wen-Sung and Marshall, N. Justin (2020). Dynamic courtship signals and mate preferences in Sepia plangon. Frontiers in Physiology, 11 845, 845. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00845

Dynamic courtship signals and mate preferences in Sepia plangon

2019

Journal Article

A detailed investigation of the visual system and visual ecology of the Barrier Reef anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos

Stieb, Sara M., de Busserolles, Fanny, Carleton, Karen L., Cortesi, Fabio, Chung, Wen-Sung, Dalton, Brian E., Hammond, Luke A. and Marshall, N. Justin (2019). A detailed investigation of the visual system and visual ecology of the Barrier Reef anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos. Scientific Reports, 9 (1) 16459, 16459. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-52297-0

A detailed investigation of the visual system and visual ecology of the Barrier Reef anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos

2017

Journal Article

Morphological changes of the optic lobe from late embryonic to adult stages in oval squids Sepioteuthis lessoniana

Liu, Yung-Chieh, Chung, Wen-Sung, Yu, Chun-Chieh, Hsu, Su-Ting, Chan, Fung-Lan, Liu, Tsung-Han, Su, Chia-Hao, Hwu, Yeukuang, Marshall, N Justin and Chiao, Chuan-Chin (2017). Morphological changes of the optic lobe from late embryonic to adult stages in oval squids Sepioteuthis lessoniana. Journal of Morphology, 279 (1), 75-85. doi: 10.1002/jmor.20755

Morphological changes of the optic lobe from late embryonic to adult stages in oval squids Sepioteuthis lessoniana

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2028
    Inside Out: How sexual dimorphism and neural plasticity shape the brain, behaviour, and longevity in octopuses
    The Hermon Slade Foundation
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2022 - 2025
    The mind and brain of an octopus: smart supercharged-snail
    The Australia and Pacific Science Foundation
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Wen-Sung Chung is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Dr Wen-Sung Chung directly for media enquiries about:

  • Animal NeuroBiology
  • Brain imaging
  • Cephalopods

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