Fields of Research

Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Population ecology
Wildlife and habitat management
Behavioural ecology
Genetics
Ecosystem function
Conservation and biodiversity
Fisheries management
Biosecurity science and invasive species ecology
Genomics
Animal diet and nutrition
Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation
Vertebrate biology
Ecosystem services (incl. pollination)
Animal behaviour
Pollution and contamination
Biological oceanography

Research Objectives

Marine biodiversity
Biodiversity in Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments
Assessment and management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems
Assessment and management of pelagic marine ecosystems
Assessment and management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems
Other environmental management
Effects of climate change on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic environments (excl. social impacts)
Fisheries - wild caught
Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Terrestrial biodiversity
Protection and conservation of Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments
The creative arts
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connection to land and environment
Climate change adaptation measures (excl. ecosystem)
Ecosystem adaptation to climate change
Climate change models

Career Best Publications

Research Publications

A review of methods used to analyse albatross diets - assessing priorities across their range; ICES Journal of Marine Science
Adélie penguin population diet monitoring by analysis of food DNA in scats; PLoS One
Counting with DNA in metabarcoding studies: how should we convert sequence reads to dietary data?; Molecular Ecology
DNA metabarcoding as a marine conservation and management tool: a circumpolar examination of fishery discards in the diet of threatened albatrosses; Frontiers in Marine Science
Generating unbiased estimates of burrowing seabird populations; Ecography
High occurrence of jellyfish predation by black-browed and Campbell albatross identified by DNA metabarcoding; Molecular Ecology
High-throughput real-time PCR and melt curve analysis for sexing Southern Ocean seabirds using fecal samples; Theriogenology
Molecular analysis of predator scats reveals role of salps in temperate inshore food webs; Frontiers in Marine Science
Optimised scat collection protocols for dietary DNA metabarcoding in vertebrates; Methods in Ecology and Evolution
Pyrosequencing faecal DNA to determine diet of little penguins: is what goes in what comes out?; Conservation Genetics
Qualitative modelling of invasive species eradication on subantarctic Macquarie Island; Journal of Applied Ecology
Quantifying prey availability using the foraging plasticity of a marine predator, the little penguin; Functional Ecology
Sea‑ice and density‑dependent factors affecting foraging habitat and behaviour of Adelie penguins throughout the breeding season; Marine Biology
Searching for the true diet of marine predators: incorporating Bayesian priors into stable isotope mixing models; PLoS ONE
Simultaneous DNA-based diet analysis of breeding, non-breeding and chick Adélie penguins; Royal Society Open Science
Site-specific reproductive failure and decline of a population of the endangered yellow-eyed penguin: a case for foraging habitat quality; Marine Ecology Progress Series
The current trajectory of king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) chick numbers on Macquarie Island in relation to environmental conditions; ICES Journal of Marine Science
Trends in gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) breeding population size at Macquarie Island; Polar Biology
Using DNA metabarcoding to detect burrowing seabirds in a remote landscape; Conservation Science and Practice
Why do marine endotherms eat gelatinous prey?; ICES Journal of Marine Science

Research Projects

Determination of Macquarie Islands Wandering Albatross population; Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)
Diet of top level predators as an indicator of Southern Ocean ecosystem health: design and implementation of an effective genetic monitoring approach; Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth) (DoEE)
DISCOVERING THE ROLE OF RARE AND ENDANGERED MARINE PREDATORS IN THE TASMAN FRACTURE MARINE PARK; Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth) (DoEE)
Food web networks of sub-Antarctic birds and mammals; Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment (HWRE)
The power of poo: Using non-invasive DNA methodologies to investigate albatross diet; Winifred Violet Scott Charitable Trust (WVS)
The utilisation of the Macquarie Island Marine Park by seabirds and marine mammals: a review of current knowledge and future directions; Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth) (DoEE)
DNA dietary analysis as a tool to update dietary information of Southern African seabirds

Research Candidate Supervision