Completed early career researcher projects

Biodiversity informatics for conservation and biosecurity

We are developing tools that will allow users to combine and analyse standard data types in biodiversity informatics, in this case large-scale information about the evolutionary history of species, traits for individuals or species, and ecological data.

Electric microbes: new methods of cultivating subsurface life

This project will verify whether subsurface microbes can be cultivated in the lab by providing electrons directly as the energy source opening up new possibilities to utilise subsurface microbial life.

Using microbes to estimate the health of estuaries

In this project we are using metagenomic sequencing combined with experiments in the laboratory and in the field to unlock the relationships between microbial identity (i.e., who is there) and the ecosystem functions they perform (i.e., what are they doing).

Measuring and managing the health of estuaries and coasts through microbial DNA

Our project aims to test the potential of environomics to provide qualitative and quantitative indicators of bacterial nitrogen cycling at the spatial and temporal scales required by ecosystem managers and modellers. With better model accuracy, we aim to provide industry, government, and communities with the tools they need to manage nutrient pollution.

Estimating species’ rank abundance by improving eDNA techniques

Unfortunately, the ability of metabarcoding to provide quantitative information is currently limited due to a number of technical constraints leading to differential amplification between DNA fragments.

Bioinformatic methods for estimating animal abundance from eDNA

This project is focused on developing new bioinformatic methods for obtaining quantitative information on animal abundance and biomass from eDNA datasets.

Pollen DNA Metabarcoding

Our project will develop and apply ecological and genomic methods to help untangle complex plant-pollinator webs within a range of Australian habitats.

DNA Ageing: Rapid epigenetic age estimation for animals

This project aims to advance technical developments and foster a deeper theoretical understanding of the epigenetic changes associated with age.

Restoring seagrass meadows with the help of microbes

This project, led by FSP postdoctoral researcher Flavia Tarquinio, is testing whether seagrass restoration can be improved by manipulating the bacterial communities that naturally coexist in their seeds, leaves and roots.

Estimating the adaptive capacity of plant species with transcriptome and phenotypic traits

In this project, we will quantify the response of plants to temperature stress by sequencing the transcriptome and combine this information with trait data to develop a platform that can predict if a species are near their thermal limits.