Biography
I’m a plant ecologist who likes to address applied ecological problems using multiple approaches such as field experiments, GIS analyses and modelling. Although I have conducted research in agricultural, forest and alpine environments I am particularly interested in the ecology of urban areas. This is because they are a unique combination of habitats that are becoming increasingly prevalent on a global scale and present many important research questions. My interest in urban ecology was developed during nine years working at the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology (ARCUE), a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens based in the Botany School at Melbourne University. While there I completed a PhD investigating how the ecology of native grasslands changed across an urban to rural gradient. This research highlighted how surrounding landscapes influence the processes which occur in remnant habitats, such as edge effects and local extinctions. I continue to conduct urban ecology and native grassland research with a number of collaborators. In 2007 I established a research program to develop green infrastructure, in particular vegetated roofs, suitable for Australian conditions as a climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy. This has since become a research focus on the Burnley Campus and attracted substantial publicity and funding.
Research Expertise and International Linkages
Research Expertise
| Research Interest |
Key Words |
Country of Expertise |
| Grassland Ecology and Restoration |
|
Australia |
| Green Infrastructure (Living roofs, green walls etc) |
|
Australia |
| Urban Plant Ecology |
|
Australia |
| Urban Plant Ecology |
|
Australia |
| Weed Invasions |
Hawkweeds (Hieracium sp), Willows |
Australia |
Qualifications, Honours, Fellowships and Other
Awards
Qualifications
| Title |
Institution |
Date Awarded |
Abbreviation |
| Bachelor of Arts |
University of Melbourne |
12-Mar-1997 |
|
| Bachelor of Science |
University of Melbourne |
06-Mar-1996 |
|
| Doctor of Philosophy |
University of Melbourne |
01-Apr-2006 |
|
Memberships
| Membership Type |
Membership Body |
Description |
Start Date |
End Date |
| Member |
Ecological Society of Australia |
Member |
01-Jan-1999 |
|
| Member |
Ecological Society of America |
member |
01-Sep-2009 |
|
| Member |
Field Naturalists Club of Victoria |
Member |
01-Apr-2005 |
|
| Member |
British Ecological Society |
Member |
01-Jan-2005 |
01-Jan-2006 |
| Member |
Evans St Wildflower Grassland Advisory Commitee (for City of Hume) |
Chair |
01-Jul-2004 |
30-Jun-2010 |
| Member |
Green Roofs Australia |
member |
01-Jun-2009 |
|
Government Research Classifications
Research Fields, Courses and Discipline Classifications
Socio-Economic Objective Classifications
Grants and Contracts
Research Grants, Contracts and Consultancies awarded to the University of Melbourne as the administering institution (since 2003) as recorded in Themis Agreements.
Grants
| Title |
Role |
Funding Source |
Scheme |
Award Date |
| IMPROVED DETECTION AND ERADICATION OF HIERACIUM: EXPERIMENTS AND 2ND GENERATION DISPERSAL MODELS |
Chief Investigator |
DEPT OF AGRICULTURE FISHERIES & FORESTRY |
Australian Weed Research Centre Funding |
02/03/2009 |
| Green roofs improving urban environments in a changing climate |
Chief Investigator |
DEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY & ENVIRONMENT,
MELBOURNE WATER CORP,
CITY OF MELBOURNE,
COMMITTEE FOR MELBOURNE |
Linkage Projects (AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL) |
01/07/2009 |
| 'Streamlining search and destroy': development of a robust prioritisation framework for weed eradication using Hawkweed species |
Chief Investigator |
AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Linkage Projects |
01/01/2010 |
| ECOSYSTEMS SERVICES FROM LARGE URBAN GREEN SPACES - THE BIODIVERSITY AND CARBON BENEFIT OF URBAN GOLF COURSES |
Chief Investigator |
AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Linkage Projects |
01/01/2011 |
| INNOVATIVE NEW RESOURCES TO IMPROVE AWARENESS, MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION OF NATIVE GRASSLANDS - WILLIAMS |
Chief Investigator |
THE MYER FOUNDATION |
Grants |
|
Contracts
| Title |
Role |
Funding Source |
Award Date |
| PIXEL BUILDING GREEN ROOF - PHASE 2 |
Chief Investigator |
GROCON |
29/01/2010 |
| "VEGETABLE RAINGARDENS - THE BENEFITS AND PERFORMANCE" |
Chief Investigator |
MELBOURNE WATER CORP |
01/01/2011 |
| SUPPLY OF SUGAR WASTE FROM NOTTING HIL |
Chief Investigator |
CADBURY SCHWEPPES PTY LTD |
|
Consultancies
| Title |
Role |
Funding Source |
Award Date |
| EXPERT ADVICE - GREEN ROOF CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS - PIXEL BUILDING |
Chief Investigator |
UOM COMMERCIAL LTD |
|
| TECHNICAL HORTICULTURAL ANALYSIS AND DESIGN FOR GREEN ROOF ON COUNCIL BUILDING |
Chief Investigator |
UOM COMMERCIAL LTD |
|
| GREEN/LIVING ROOF PROJECT |
Chief Investigator |
UOM COMMERCIAL LTD |
|
| PIXEL ROOF TRAYS SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION |
Chief Investigator |
UOM COMMERCIAL LTD |
|
| PIXEL GREEN ROOF MONITORING |
Chief Investigator |
UOM COMMERCIAL LTD |
|
Publications
Publications produced at the University of Melbourne and reported in the Annual Publications Collection and 'Research Report' since 2001. The Themis Publications module, released in November 2006, allows additional publications from previous institutions and publications from past years to be entered.
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