Rachel is a research officer at Monash University, focusing on ecological and biodiversity network analysis. Her previous research focused on understanding predator-prey interactions and environmental drivers of faunal distributions in a semi-arid environment. Rachel has a deep interest in understanding the ways in which changes to the abundance or distribution of individual species can flow…
Ben Shipley is a biogeographer studying how species are distributed across space and time. He examines how small-ranged and endemic species evolve, survive, and react to environmental and landscape changes in harsh environments. At SAEF, he will be developing models examining the effects of ecological thinning and changes in diversity on species networks.
Kat is a population geneticist who applies evolutionary theory to conservation. Her research focuses on how populations persist and generate diversity through dispersal and adaptation. By using advanced genomic approaches, she aims to uncover the mechanisms that species have relied on for rapid adaptation during periods of significant environmental change, providing insights relevant to present-day…
Professor Emma Johnston AO FTSE is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Sydney. She studies human impacts in marine ecosystems from a range of stressors including stormwater, plastic pollution, and organic enrichment. A highly awarded scientist, educator and communicator, Professor Johnston has published more than 160 peer-reviewed articles and supervised 28 successful PhD graduates. She is…
Joshna Baskar completed a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Environmental Science, at Monash University in December 2023. Throughout 2023, Joshna volunteered at SAEF, inspired by a lecture series by Professor Steven Chown that emphasised the urgency of action towards climate change and biodiversity loss. She assisted in extracting location information from Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)…
Lou’s research focusses on invasive alien species in the Antarctic. Antarctica is so unique and geographically isolated that it has been relatively protected from alien species but at the same time it’s more sensitive to biological invasions especially as the climate changes. For these reasons it’s important to study how biological invasions in the Antarctic…
Maggie is studying a Masters of Philosophy at QUT. Her project aims to determine changes in subantarctic Macquarie Island’s seabird populations over time; establishing important baselines for pre-human landscapes and invasive species impacts to inform future management. This will be achieved by combining palaeo-ecological techniques, through the analysis of peat cores, with contemporary monitoring, surveys and…
Dr Mardi McNeil is an Earth scientist who maps and characterises Australia’s seafloor environments to support evidence-based management of marine natural assets. Managing Australia’s unique environment doesn’t end at the coastline. As a marine geoscientist at Geoscience Australia, Mardi works with bathymetry maps and seabed rock and sediment information to advise government, industry and academic…
Ari is completing her Honours under the supervision of Dr Steph Gardner, Dr Emma Johnston, and Dr Graeme Clark. Her research is focussed on investigating the ecological influence of coral patch reefs on surrounding soft sediment infauna communities. This research aims to inform our understanding of connectivity between marine habitats, and provide methodologies to investigate…
Qinting is a PhD candidate at the University of Wollongong, working on developing energy-efficient edge AI models for environmental monitoring in extreme conditions. Her research focuses on lightweight segmentation and generative AI techniques for Antarctic moss monitoring, enabling real-time analysis on low-power devices such as the NVIDIA Jetson platform. As part of SAEF, Qinting will…
Iva is a wildlife conservation and marine science Honours student at the University of Sydney. She is part of the Marine Ecology Futures lab and is being supervised by John Turnbull and Graeme Clarke. Iva’s research interests lie in marine ecology, particularly ecosystem connectivity and community interactions, and how this all relates back to climate…
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which SAEF operates across Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to the land and water, and their deep and enduring understanding of how to care for Country. We are committed to learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and building a brighter future together.
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