Rose (she/her) is a PhD student at CU Boulder studying Southern Ocean ecosystems by using interdisciplinary methods to understand fisheries ecology and conservation management. Using otoliths, ear stones found in fish, Rose looks at life history traits of different fish populations all around the waters of Antarctica and how their populations may be migrating and…
Brittany graduated from QUT in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science (Physics) achieving a GPA of 7.00. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she participated in diverse research projects, including atomic force microscopy and spectroscopy at QUT, and completed a summer internship in quantum optics at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Her research…
Chris Burns is a PhD candidate from The University of Wollongong. His thesis aimed to identify a machine-learning algorithm capable of generalising in relation to mapping coral reef habitats and seagrass meadows. His results indicated an algorithm known as U-Net showed signs of generalisation in relation to seagrass, reef habitat, and live coral. This provides…
Ira Cooke is a bioinformatician and geneticist who uses large population genomic datasets to understand adaptive and demographic changes that species underwent during past glacial cycles. He contributed to work led by the connect team in SAEF that used Antarctic octopus to provide evidence for ancient seaways. As an Associate Investigator in SAEF he will…
Christian Pagel is a graduate student with a Master of Marine Biology from James Cook University. Her areas of research include coral surveys, reef orthomosaics and coral tissue analysis. She will be assisting in the collection and cataloguing of marine invertebrates aboard the Denman Marine Voyage. “Preserving glaciers in Antarctica is key to preventing massive…
Jesselyn Brown is a marine science student interested in Antarctic and deep-sea evolutionary research. Her work with SAEF will involve expedition research assistance as well as specimen processing from Heard Island and McDonald Islands. “Antarctica is one of the last areas on earth that hasn’t been heavily effected by human impact, which makes it an…
Narmilan Amarasingam is an Associate Research Fellow at the University of Wollongong, working with the Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF) project. With his Ph.D. research in precision agriculture and vegetation mapping, which was recently submitted for examination at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Narmilan specialises in UAV-based remote sensing and artificial intelligence for environmental monitoring….
Joshua Lesicar is an honours student interested in investigating the population genetics of Antarctic benthic invertebrates. His project with SAEF will investigate the dispersal abilities of Doris kerguelenensis, an Antarctic nudibranch species, from a genetic perspective. “To preserve nature for future generations.” — Joshua Lesicar
Ariella Arzey is a PhD student working in the University of Wollongong’s Palaeo Environment Research Laboratory to understand past climates and environments. Ariella looks at the interconnected processes of the global ocean and climate with a focus on the Great Barrier Reef over the Holocene. She is interested in the marine environment, marine organism health…
Cassie Newman is a PhD candidate based at the University of Wollongong. After completing a Bachelor degree, majoring in geospatial science and marine biology, she went on to complete a Masters degree in geospatial science where she used different tools to capture temporal changes in coastlines. Since then, Cassie has been working for the Otago…
Dr Mia Wege’s research uses novel developing technologies and quantitative methods to understand species distributions and relationships with their environment. Her research focuses on the distribution, habitat use, and foraging ecology of marine predators, specifically at-sea behaviour and its influence on population dynamics. Mia is contributing her expertise on Ross seals (Ommatophoca rossii)—the only specially…
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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