Fields of Research

Genetics
Gene mapping
Tree improvement (incl. selection and breeding)
Terrestrial ecology
Genomics
Molecular evolution
Plant developmental and reproductive biology
Forestry fire management
Evolutionary biology
Genomics and transcriptomics
Horticultural crop improvement (incl. selection and breeding)
Genome structure and regulation
Plant and fungus systematics and taxonomy
Plant physiology
Phylogeny and comparative analysis
Plant pathology
Forestry sciences
Forest health and pathology
Photogrammetry and remote sensing
Climate change processes
Aquaculture
Plant cell and molecular biology
Artificial intelligence
Forestry management and environment
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander environmental conservation
Te whaomoomo taiao o te Maori (Maori environmental conservation)
Environmental management
Conservation and biodiversity

Research Objectives

Hardwood plantations
Native forests
Terrestrial biodiversity
Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Environmentally sustainable plant production
Softwood plantations
Climate change adaptation measures (excl. ecosystem)
Hops
Ecosystem adaptation to climate change
Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences
Control of pests, diseases and exotic species in terrestrial environments
Forestry
Expanding knowledge in the chemical sciences
Aquaculture fin fish (excl. tuna)
Mohiotanga Maori (Maori knowledge)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connection to land and environment
Soils

Career Best Publications

Few mendelian genes underlie the quantitative response of a forest tree, Eucalyptus globulus, to a natural fungal epidemic; Genetics
Quantitative trait loci for key defensive compounds affecting herbivory of eucalypts in Australia; New Phytologist

Research Publications

A reference linkage map for Eucalyptus; BMC Genomics
Annotation of the Corymbia terpene synthase gene family shows broad conservation but dynamic evolution of physical clusters relative to Eucalyptus; Heredity
Association mapping for wood quality and growth traits in Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus Labill identifies nine stable marker-trait associations for seven traits; Tree Genetics and Genomes
Characterising the 'long arm' of the gene in Eucalyptus globulus: genetic impacts at the community and ecosystem levels; ESA 2008
Chloroplast DNA phylogeography of Eucalyptus globulus; Australian Journal of Botany
Comparative genomics of Eucalyptus and Corymbia reveals low rates of genome structural rearrangement; BMC Genomics
Comparison of host susceptibilities to native and exotic pathogens provides evidence for pathogen-imposed selection in forest trees; New Phytologist
Diversity and abundance of soil microbial communities decline, and community compositions change with severity of post-logging fire; Molecular Ecology
Evidence for different QTL underlying the immune and hypersensitive responses of Eucalyptus globulus to the rust pathogen Puccinia psidii; Tree Genetics and Genomes
Evolutionary history shapes the susceptibility of an island tree flora to an exotic pathogen; Forest Ecology and Management
Few mendelian genes underlie the quantitative response of a forest tree, Eucalyptus globulus, to a natural fungal epidemic; Genetics
Genetic analysis of early phenology in lentil identifies distinct loci controlling component traits; Journal of Experimental Botany
Genetic analysis of the near infrared spectral phenome of Eucalyptus globulus; Gordon’s Research Conference on Plant-Herbivore Interactions
Genetic analysis of the near-infrared spectral phenome of a global Eucalyptus species; Tree Genetics and Genomes
Genetic control of cuticular wax compounds in Eucalyptus globulus; New Phytologist
Genetic control of heterochrony in Eucalyptus globulus; G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics
Genetic control of resistance to Mycosphaerella leaf disease in Eucalyptus globulus; 19th Genetics Congress
Genetic variation in fire recovery and other fire‑related traits in a global eucalypt species; Tree Genetics & Genomes
Genome-wide variation in recombination rate in Eucalyptus; BMC Genomics
Genomic patterns of species diversity and divergence in Eucalyptus; New Phytologist
High synteny and colinearity among Eucalyptus genomes revealed by high-density comparative genetic mapping; Tree Genetics & Genomes
Independent genetic control of drought resistance, recovery, and growth of Eucalyptus globulus seedlings; Plant, Cell and Environment
Independent lines of evidence of a genetic relationship between acoustic wave velocity and kraft pulp yield in Eucalyptus globulus; Annals of Forest Science
Independent QTL underlie resistance to the native pathogen Quambalaria pitereka and the exotic pathogen Austropuccinia psidii in Corymbia; Tree Genetics and Genomes
Molecular insights into the gene pool of Eucalyptus globulus; IUFRO Tree Biotechnology Meeting
Molecular Linkage Maps of Eucalyptus: Strategies, Resources and Achievements; Genetics, Genomics and Breeding of Eucalypts
Origins and diversity of the Portuguese Landrace of Eucalyptus globulus; Annals of Forest Science
Parental and consensus linkage maps of Eucalyptus globulus using AFLP and microsatellite markers; Silvae Genetica
Patterns of genomic diversity and linkage disequilibrium across the disjunct range of the Australian forest tree Eucalyptus globulus; Tree Genetics & Genomes
Pests, diseases, and aridity have shaped the genome of Corymbia citriodora; Communications Biology
QTL detection for Mycosphaerella leaf disease in Eucalyptus globulus; IUFRO Tree Biotechnology Meeting
QTL influencing growth and wood properties in Eucalyptus globulus; Tree Genetics & Genomes
Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for intumescence severity in Eucalyptus globulus and validation of QTL detection based on phenotyping using open-pollinated families of a mapping population; Plant Disease
Quantitative trait loci for foliar terpenes in a global eucalypt species; Tree Genetics & Genomes
Quantitative trait loci for key defensive compounds affecting herbivory of eucalypts in Australia; New Phytologist
Quantitative trait loci in hop (Humulus lupulus L.) reveal complex genetic architecture underlying variation in sex, yield and cone chemistry; BMC Genomics
Stability of quantitative trait loci for growth and wood properties across multiple pedigrees and environments in Eucalyptus globulus; New Phytologist
The application of molecular markers to Eucalyptus globulus tree improvement
The extended phenotype of Eucalyptus globulus; Australasian Forest Genetics Conference: Breeding for Wood Quality

Research Projects

Genetics of eucalypt disease tolerance; University of the Sunshine Coast (USC)
Quantitative genetic control of economic traits in Eucalyptus globulus; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Seeing the forest for the trees: transforming tree phenotyping for future forests; Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment NZ (MBIE)
The effect of logging and regeneration burn severity on the composition and succession of soil microbial communities; Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment (HWRE)
The Identification of Traits Relating to Drought Resistance in Eucalyptus Globulus; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
University of Sunshine Coast Research Futures Project; Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER)
Scion collaboration research

Research Candidate Supervision

Eucalyptus Genomics- Linkage Mapping, QTL Analysis and Population Genomic Studies
Genetic Control of Flowering Time in Lentil (Lens culinaris)
Molecular and Quantitative Genetic Analyses of Hop (Humulus lupulus L.)