Researcher

My Expertise

Marine mammals, women in science, Predator-prey interactions, communication, Antarctic wildlife

Fields of Research (FoR)

Ecology, Behavioural Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Animal Behaviour

Biography

We examine how mammals overcome the challenges of living within changing environments

Awards & Achievements

2015: Finalist Australian Academy Science, Nancy Millis Medal

2011: Finalist Eureka Prize People's Choice Science Award

2011: Finalist Eureka Prize Animal Protection, Research & Innovation      

2008-2010: Ambassador, Australian Institute of Policy & Science Tall Poppy Program for outstanding scientific research and communication

2009:...view more

We examine how mammals overcome the challenges of living within changing environments

Awards & Achievements

2015: Finalist Australian Academy Science, Nancy Millis Medal

2011: Finalist Eureka Prize People's Choice Science Award

2011: Finalist Eureka Prize Animal Protection, Research & Innovation      

2008-2010: Ambassador, Australian Institute of Policy & Science Tall Poppy Program for outstanding scientific research and communication

2009: F.G. Wood Memorial Prize, International Society Marine Mammalogy (along with Hogg, PhD student)

2007: Research Award, Australasian Association of Zoological Parks & Aquaria  

2005: NSW Tall Poppy Award awarded by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science for outstanding scientific research and communication


My Research Supervision


Areas of supervision

Supervision Opportunities/Areas

I love talking to potential PhD students who are interested in working on projects in large scale ecology or who have exciting ideas of their own, come and have a chat.

Advice for prospective students

The most important thing you should do while choosing a supervisor is to talk to their past and present students. See if you think you would like to be a part of their lab. Find out where their students end up! That might be you one day.  Come and have a cup of coffee or tea and talk with us.


Currently supervising

Lucinda Chambers - Acoustic behaviour of marine mammals

Ben Jancovich - Developing new methods and tools for detecting, and analyzing animal vocalisations within very large audio datasets, and using those methods to study the vocal behaviours of blue whales.

Jane McPhee-Frew - Ecology of the killer whale

Andrea Cormack – The ecology of male southern elephant seals 

Ben Walker - Conservation ecology of leopards in northern Botswana

 

Past PhD students - where are they now

Adelaide Dedden (PhD completed 2023 - Tracking oceanic change and Mysticete whale behaviour through stable isotope oscillations along baleen plates). Currently: Marine Wildlife Conservation Programs Branch, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (Australia).

Anna Lewis (PhD completed 2023  Ecology of Tasmanian devils) Currently: Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of NSW, Sydney (Australia).

Gary Truong (PhD completed 2021 - Drivers of great whale behaviour). Currently: Teaching Support Administrator, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of NSW, Sydney (Australia).

Cameron Radford (PhD completed 2022 - Human-wildlife conflict). Currently: Postdoctoral Researcher Conservation Biologist, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) Berlin (Germany)

Catharina Vendl (PhD completed 2020 - Microbiome of humpback whales). Currently: Research Veterinarian, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Alabama (US)

Kobe Martin (PhD completed 2019 - Rethinking the evolution of acoustic signals in mammals). Currently: Graduate Project Officer NSW Public Works (Australia)

Ricardo Alvarez (PhD completed 2019 - Drivers of spatial patterns of South American marine mammals).  Currently: World Wildlife Fund (Chile)

Alicia Guerrero (PhD completed 2018 - Macroecological patterns in mammalian fatty acid distribution: diet, thermoregulation, streamlining). Currently: Postdoctoral Fellow, Universidad de Valparaíso (Chile)

Naysa Balcazar (PhD submitted 2016 - Acoustics: a tool to reveal the behaviour of the blue whale). Currently: Postdoctoral Fellow, COPAS Sur-Austral Research Center, Depto de Oceanografia, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción (Chile)

Tempe Adams (PhD commenced 2016 - Can humans and elephants coexist? with Keith Leggett).  Currently: Postdoctoral Fellow, Elephants without Boarders Kasane (Botswana)

Marlee Tucker (PhD completed 2015 - Macroecological patterns in mammals: body size, space use and diet). Currently: Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science at Radboud University in Nijmegen (Netherlands)

Marie Attard (PhD completed 2014 – Did competition influence the thylacine’s extinction with Dr Steve Wroe). Currently: Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London (UK)

Carol Palmer (PhD completed 2014 – Ecology of the Australian Snubfin (Orcaella heinsohni) and Indo-Pacific Humpback (Sousa chinensis) dolphins in the Northern Territory. (PhD with Prof Chris Austin). Currently: Senior Scientist (Marine Mammals) Marine Ecosystems, Department of Land Resource Management, Northern Territory (Australia)

Tiffanie Nelson (PhD completed 2012 – Patterns in the evolution of gut microbiota in mammals with Dr Mark Brown). Currently: Postdoctoral Fellow, Montana State University (USA)

Joy Tripovich (PhD completed 2006 - Vocal behaviour in fur seals: neighbour-stranger recognition). Currently: Behavioural Biologist, Taronga Conservation Society Australia (Australia)

Kym Collins (PhD completed 2006 – Mother-pup vocal behaviour in Weddell seals). Currently: Senior Research Scientist, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia (Australia)

Rachael Gray (PhD completed 2005 – Health parameters of southern pack ice seals).  Currently: Associate Professor, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney (Australia)

Sophie Hall-Aspland (PhD completed 2005 – Foraging ecology of leopard seals). Currently: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Department of Primary Industries and Charles Sturt University, School of Animal and Veterinary Science (Australia). 

Carolyn Hogg (PhD completed 2005 – Non-invasive sampling of steroids in whale blow). Currently: Professor, Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group and Lead/Chair, Threatened Species Initiative, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney (Australia)


My Engagement

Professional affiliations and service positions

Scientific member, Scientific Committee Antarctic Research (SCAR) Expert Group on Birds and Marine Mammals (EG-BAMM) 2007-present

Scientific member, DECCW Marine Fauna Advisory Committee, NSW Office of the Environment & Heritage Department of Premier and Cabinet      2010-present

Node representative, NSW Integrated Marine Observing System  (2012 to present)

I am an active participant in Scientists in Schools, and have run workshops for children at the Powerhouse Museum, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Sydney Institute of Marine Science.

I was a judge for Australian Institute of Policy & Science Tall Poppy Program

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Location

Room 5107, Level 5 West
Biological Sciences South (E26)
UNSW, Kensington 2052

Contact

02 9385 8095
02 9385 1558