Print this page

Our People

Research undertaken by our staff constitutes the key activity of the Institute, contributing new knowledge that improves understanding of our natural world. Our academic staff are active in many international and national networks. Demand for our scientists to provide services through directorships and board memberships, formal advisory positions, and editorial positions with quality scientific journals is an important indicator of the impact of our science. Staff are closely involved in the delivery of the University’s Environmental Science and general undergraduate science courses.

Richard Duncan

Director and Centenary Professor in Conservation Ecology
Phone: +61 2 62068858
Email Richard Duncan
Research Profile

Elise Furlan

Senior Research Fellow
Phone: +61 2 62015528
Email Elise Furlan
Research Profile

Bernd Gruber

Professor for Spatial and Ecological Modelling
Phone: +61 2 6206 3804
Email Bernd Gruber
Research Profile

Robert Kearney

Emeritus Professor in Fisheries Management
Phone: + 61 2 6201 2795
Email Robert Kearney
Research Profile

Janine Deakin

Professor in Genomics
Phone: +61 2 6206 8894
Email Janine Deakin
Research Profile

Ralph Mac Nally

Centenary Professor in Ecology
Phone: +61 2 62015152
Email Ralph Mac Nally
Research Profile

Duanne White

Associate Professor in Earth Systems
Phone: +61 2 6201 2083
Email Duanne White
Research Profile

Jacki Schirmer

Associate Professor in Social Dimensions of Natural Resource Management
Phone:
Email Jacki Schirmer
Research Profile

Ross Thompson

Professor in Water Science
Phone: +61 2 62015041
Email Ross Thompson
Research Profile

Dianne Gleeson

Professor in Ecological Genetics
Phone: +61 2 62012237
Email Dianne Gleeson
Research Profile

Bill Maher

Professor in Ecochemistry
Phone: +61 2 62012531
Email Bill Maher
Research Profile

Mark Lintermans

Senior Research Fellow in Freshwater Ecology
Phone: +61 2 62012853
Email Mark Lintermans
Research Profile

Simon Foster

Associate Professor in Chemistry
Phone: +61 2 6201 2540
Email Simon Foster
Research Profile

Ben Kefford

Associate Professor in Water Science
Phone: +61 2 6201 2086
Email Ben Kefford
Research Profile

Peter Unmack

Postdoctoral Fellow in Fish Biogeography and Conservation
Phone: +61 2 62015528
Email Peter Unmack
Research Profile

Jim Hone

Emeritus Professor in Wildlife Management
Phone: + 61 2 6201 2979
Email Jim Hone
Research Profile

Ben Broadhurst

Water Science Project Manager
Phone: +61 2 62068608
Email Ben Broadhurst
Research Profile

Jurian Hoogewerff

Associate Professor
Phone: +61 2 6201 5879
Email Jurian Hoogewerff
Research Profile

LeRoy Poff

Distinguished Professor in Riverine Ecology and Environmental flows
Phone: +61 2 62063805
Email LeRoy Poff
Research Profile

Sue Nichols

Senior Researcher Fellow in Freshwater Ecology
Phone: +61 2 62015408
Email Sue Nichols
Research Profile

Fiona Dyer

Professor in Water Science
Phone: +61 2 62012452
Email Fiona Dyer
Research Profile

Arthur Georges

Distinguished Professor in Genetics and Genomics
Phone: +61 2 62015786
Email Arthur Georges
Research Profile

Stephen Sarre

Professor in Wildlife Genetics
Phone: +61 2 62015657
Email Stephen Sarre
Research Profile

Tariq Ezaz

Professor in Genetics
Phone: +61 2 6201 2297
Email Tariq Ezaz
Research Profile

Our graduate students are highly engaged and an important element of the fabric of the Institute. Events to bring students and research staff together are frequent, including regular social gatherings, weekly in-house skills development workshops, an active Seminar Series, and an annual student retreat. These activities create opportunities for students to test ideas and to analyse and interpret research, mentored by leading academics.

A distinguishing feature of the higher degree research program is the emphasis on work integrated learning. Learning first-hand through real work or work-like experiences is a key element to enhancing employability in the workforce. We are committed to preparing professional and highly employable graduates with the right mix of skills and knowledge.

Shayer Alam

Email: Shayer.Alam@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Evolution and Ecology of Sex determination Mechanism in Agamid Lizards
Supervisor(s): Professor Tariq Ezaz, Professor Arthur Georges, Associate Porfessor Dianne Gleeson, Associate Professor Stephen Sarre

Hugh Allan

Email: Hugh.Allan@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Guardians of the Galaxias - Investigating the ecology of a critically endangered freshwater fish
Supervisor(s): Mark Lintermans, Dr Peter Unmack, Centenary Professor Richard Duncan, Tarmo Raadik (Arthur Rylah Institute, DELWP Victoria).

Florence Awino

Email: Florence.Awino@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Assessment of uncontrolled toxic waste chemicals and human health risks from food crops in the Mbale Municipal Council Dumpsite, Uganda
Supervisor(s): Assistant Professor Jasmyn Lynch, Professor Bill Maher

Jill Bartlett

Email: Jill.Bartlett@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Bioenergetics and the use of Near Infra-red Spectroscopy for measuring health and stress response in common Australian bivalve species
Supervisor(s): William Maher, Anne Taylor, Tariq Ezaz

Berenice Talamantes Becerra

Email: Berenice.TalamantesBecerra@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: DArTseq as tool for bacterial strain typing and discovery of novel microorganisms
Supervisor(s): Professor Arthur Georges

David Berman

Email: David.Berman@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Drivers of fine scale genetic spatial structuring in aquatic organisms
Supervisor(s): Associate Professor Bernd Gruber, Dr Peter Unmack, Professor Arthur Georges

Anthony Davidson

Email: Anthony.Davidson@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Factors Enabling Native Prey to Persist In The Face Of Environmental Variability and Predation by Invasive Predators
Supervisor(s): Richard Duncan, Bernd Gruber

Dumie Dissanayake

Email: Dumie.Dissanayake@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Sex in Skinks: Sex Reversal and Sex Determination in the Three-lined Skink, Bassiana duperreyi
Supervisor(s): Professor Arthur Georges, Associate Professor Janine Deakin, Adjunct Associate Professor Clare Holleley

Eman Alkasasbeh

Email: Eman.Alkasasbeh@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Synthesis and speciation of organic arsenic compounds
Supervisor(s): William Maher, Simon Foster, Frady Gouany

Fayha Alshibli

Email: Fayha.Alshibli@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Modelling a Future Water Budget in Jordan: Evaluation of the Major Stressors Affecting Water Availability
Supervisor(s): Professor William Maher and Professor Ross Thompson
Research Profile

Kyle Hemming

Email: Kyle.Hemming@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Spread Potential of Introduced Grasses in Australia
Supervisor(s): Centenary porfessor Richard Duncan, Dr Lizzie Wandrag

Kris Wild

Email: Kris.Wild@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Ecological Causes and Consequences of Transitions Between Genetic Sex Determination and Temperature-Sex Determination
Supervisor(s): Stephen Sarre
Research Profile

Matthew Young

Email: Matthew.Young@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Wildlife forensics and phylogenetics of freshwater turtles in Australia and New Guinea
Supervisor(s): Arthur Georges, Dianne Gleeson, Carla Eisemberg
Research Profile

Margarita Medina

Email: Margarita.Medina@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Biogeography and Phylogenetics of Marsupials: a Global Perspective for Conservation
Supervisor(s): Associate Professor Bernd Gruber

Bradley Moggridge

Email: Bradley.Moggridge@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Incorporating cultural values and perspectives of First Peoples’ (Aboriginal People) into water planning and environmental water management
Supervisor(s): Professor Ross Thompson and Professor Peter Radoll

Karl Moy

Email: Karl.Moy@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Factors influencing invasion success in rainbowfishes
Supervisor(s): Peter Unmack, Mark Lintermans, Richard Duncan, Culum Brown (Macquarie Uni)

Phil Pearson

Email: phil.pearson@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Evaluation of habitat choice, nest site selection, and offspring phenotypes of wild sex-reversed female central bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps)
Supervisor(s): Stephen Sarre, Lisa Schwanz (UNSW), and Janine Deakin

Rakhi Palit

Email: Rakhi.Palit@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Understanding invasion patterns and processes associated with garden escapees in Australia
Supervisor(s): Professor Richard Duncan, Associate Professor Paul Downey
Research Profile

Sarah Bates

Email: Sarah.Bates@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: The role of plant- soil microbe interactions in plant invasion in Australian temperate grasslands
Supervisor(s): Professor Richard Duncan, Dr Lizzie Wandrag, Dr Peter Thrall (CSIRO) and Dr Luke Barrett (CSIRO)

Sarah Whiteley

Email: Sarah.Whiteley@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Effect of temperature on the fundamental epigenetic underpinnings of sex determination in two Australian dragon lizards
Supervisor(s): Professor Arthur Georges, Dr Clare Holleley (CSIRO), Dr Vera Weisbecker (The University of Queensland)
Research Profile

Foyez Shams

Email: Foyez Shams
Thesis: Population genetic structure and breeding activity of two native fish (Golden perch and Murray cod) from a managed catchment: a case study from Lachlan River.
Supervisor(s): Professor Tariq Ezaz, Associate Professor Fiona Dyer, Professor Ross Thompson, Centenary Professor Richard Duncan and Dr Jason Thiem

Tuti Siregar

Email: Tuti.Siregar@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Arsenic metabolism in marine organism
Supervisor(s): Simon Foster, William Maher

David Thuo

Email: David.Thuo@canberra.edu.au
Thesis: Conservation Genomics of Cheetahs
Supervisor(s): Dianne Gleeson, Elise Furlan

Our Emeritus staff play an extremely important role in the life of the Institute. Drawn from leaders in academia, government and industry, they contribute to our research, act as advocates for our work, and provide access to networks spanning the globe. They provide a diverse set of skills to the IAE ranging from university academics, economists, CEO’s and land managers, to media artists focused on environmental and indigenous knowledge. Many take an active interest in our students and provide valuable advice and mentoring.

Dr Shuvo (Khandoker) Bakar

Statistics

Professor James Barrett

Wildlife management programs, management of freshwater fish, vertebrate pest management

Dr Tracey Benson

Media arts focussed on environmental and indigenous knowledge

Professor Peter Bridgewater

Terrestrial and marine biodiversity governance, novel ecosystems, landscape ecology, science policy interfaces

Professor Sue Briggs

Ecosystem management, conservation biology, environmental impact assessment, conservation and environmental policy

Associate Professor Anthony Chariton

Aquatic ecology, ecogenomics, ecotoxicology, biometry

Associate Professor Brian Cooke

Conservation of native fauna and flora, population dynamics of native and introduced fauna

Associate Professor Paul Downey

Associate Professor in Plant Ecology

Dr Alistair (Vincent) Drake

Insect migration and use of radar

Associate Professor Brenda Dyack

Ecological Economics

Professor Jenny Graves AO

Genetic and genomic research

Professor Brian Green

Animal energetics

Dr John Hewson AM

Sustainability economics

Dr Marion Hoehn

Ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics

Associate Professor Clare Holleley

Sex determination

Associate Professor Dianne Jolley

Environmental chemistry and toxicology

Professor Gary Jones

Freshwater science (ecology and chemistry) and management

Professor Rod Kennett

Environmental research and management in indigenous and private sectors

Ms Alice Kenney

Wildlife ecology and data management

Professor Andrzej Killian

Genetics, research in next generation sequencing and application in agriculture and plant science

Associate Professor Peter Kinnell

Land and environment

Professor Charles Krebs

Ecology in theory and practice

Dr Julien Lepetit

Water sensitive urban design, green infrastructure

Anna MacDonald

Conservation and population genetics and genomics, environmental and trace DNA, mammals, invasive animals

Associate Professor Ikuo Miura

Sex determination in amphibians

Professor Peter O'Brien

Science-policy interface, research leadership, multi-disciplinary research

Dr Denis O'Meally

Bioinformatics

Associate Professor Gerry Olsen

Raptors and predation

Associate Professor Will Osborne

Conservation biology, herpetology, invertebrate conservation

Professor Tony Peacock

Invasive animals and R&D with large research organisations

Dr Sue Powell

Environmental flows, hydrology, aquatic ecology, spatial analysis

Mr Greg Raisin

Wetland ecology, water quality, science to policy interface

Dr Anett Richter

Conservation biology of invertebrates, biodiversity research, golden sun moth expert

Dr Jane Roberts

Plants and vegetation of riverine systems, their ecology and responses to water change, rehabilitation of these systems

Professor Glen Saunders

Vertebrate ecology and pest animal management

Dr Bill Sea

Applied ecology and plant ecology

Associate Professor Brad Sherman

Environment fluid dynamics, reservoir water quality, aquatic greenhouse gas emissions

Researchers at the IAE are supported by the Faculty of Science and Technology Professional Staff Team. This Team provides administrative oversight and input to ensure the IAE’s science programs are developed and effectively managed. In addition the IAE employ staff to manage our labs and other facilities, as well as promote our science.

Llara Weaver

Laboratory Manager – Genetics and Eco-Physiology

Academic Qualification(s): Dip. Lab Tech, BSc Psych (ANU) in progress
Phone: +61 2 62015353
Email: Llara.Weaver@canberra.edu.au