Lab Supervisor
Phill is an inaugural Australian Research Council Industry Laureate Fellow at the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology in the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide.
For more information please see my bio HERE.
Katie has a background in Science Communication and joins the group as Research Program Manager for the ARC Industry Laureate “Combatting Wildlife and Environmental Crime”.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Aysegul is interested in ecological or evolutionary questions that she can write some equations, and/or some code for. Recently, Aysegul has been developing spatially explicit individual based simulations, to model the eradication potential of genetic (and traditional) control strategies on invasive species in Australia.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
As a part of the Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF) Program, my research aims to improve our understanding of the challenges and risk pathways for biosecurity in Antarctica, with a focus on translating scientific research into policy development for improved conservation outcomes into the future.
Adam is using online and physical wildlife trade data to detect major trends and determine likely threats to species' conservation.
In bringing together both expertise in law and science, Claire is examining the fragmented and inconsistent existing legal framework across Australia in Wildlife and Environmental Crime, with the aim of supporting the development of novel legal mechanisms that protect natural resources more effectively. This project is supported by the Australian Research Council.
Research Fellow
Zach is a quantitative ecologist interested in safeguarding biodiversity from threatening processes. He is currently leading a project for the Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF) programme, which seeks to describe the marine and terrestrial pathways most-likely to contribute to the spread of non-native species across the Antarctic region.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Shawan Chowdhury commenced his postdoctoral position with the research hub in August. Shawan aims to analyse the status of wildlife crime in Australia. Shawan has two years of postdoctoral research experience at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), where he analysed the status of biodiversity in Germany in direct collaboration with nature conservation societies.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Teresa is originally from New Jersey in the U.S. She earned her BS degree in Forensic and Investigative Science and Biology from West Virginia University, followed by an MPS degree in Forensic Science from the Pennsylvania State University, and finally a PhD in Comparative Biomedical Science from North Carolina State University. Her research experience includes the forensic analysis of human and non-human DNA using next generation sequencing. As a Postdoctoral Research funded through the ARC, she will be working jointly between the University of Adelaide and the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics at the Australian Museum to develop new DNA methodologies to combat wildlife crime in Australia.
Damien is an interdisciplinary illicit trafficking researcher and osteoarchaeologist. He earned his BA degree in Anthropology from the University of Arizona, followed by MA and PhD degrees in Osteoarchaeology from the Australian National University. He previously held postdoctoral research fellow positions at Stockholm University and the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute/Division of Anthropology. He is also active in applying data-driven research to policy reform and public awareness campaigns, being a founding member of The Alliance to Counter Crime Online. As part of the Wildlife Crime Research Hub, he will investigate why heritage crime and wildlife trafficking overlap, especially online, as well as appropriate legislative and policy responses.
PhD Candidate
(Co-supervised by Dr Justine Shaw and Dr Jonny Stark)
Frances is investigating the potential for marine invasive species to arrive in Antarctica through biofouling on vessels and aims to identify the most effective biosecurity practices to prevent their arrival. This project is supported by Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF).
(Co-supervised by Oliver Stringham and John Virtue)
Jacob is studying the online trade in plants. His research is primarily focussed on the trade of invasive species, but he also has an interest in threatened species. His aim is to understand the nature of the trade itself, as well as, the current and potential impacts.
(Co-supervised by Dr Adam Toomes and Dr Erin Fagan-Jeffries)
Charlie is researching the trade of Australian terrestrial invertebrates. The project aims to quantify the trade that is occurring both domestically and internationally, and to identify related biosecurity and conservation risks. Additionally, Charlie hopes to raise awareness for inverterbate conservation and change people's perception and lack of appreciation for all invertebrates.
Freyja is researching selective regulation and its impacts on the legal international trade of wildlife.
(Co-supervised Tom Prowse)
Sebastian is investigating the international trade of Australian reptiles and amphibians, using automated data collection methods to monitor the online pet trade.
PhD Candidate
Rhianna studies transnational environmental crime specifically focusing on the key actors and networks involved in this trade. Her research aims to uncover trends in the trade of species from the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. Rhianna's research is supported by the ARC Industry Laureate grant "Combatting wildlife crime and preventing environmental harm".
(Co-supervised by Prof Andy Lowe and Dr Arif Malik)
Brittany is researching the illegal timber trade, with a focus on developing forensic tools to trace the geographic origin of timber products. Britt's research is supported by the ARC Industry Laureate grant "Combatting wildlife crime and preventing environmental harm".
PhD Candidate
Dylan is a wildlife conservation biologist and PhD candidate focused on the illegal wildlife trade. He graduated from the University of Adelaide with degrees in Wildlife Conservation Biology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Alongside his studies, he worked as a firefighter and later as a leader of ecological teams in Queensland, overseeing land management, conservation, and emergency response programs. Now back at the University of Adelaide, he is dedicated to producing impactful research in environmental crime and wildlife conservation.
PhD Candidate
Jasmin graduated from a Bachelor of Science (Wildlife Conservation Biology) at the University of Adelaide in 2022. The following year (2023, she completed her honours degree, focusing on the global trade of feathers (and how it had persisted since its popularity in the 19th century). In 2024, Jasmin's PhD research will focus on the Australian aquarium trade – in particular, coral trade from (and within) Australia. She will initially be looking at Australian exports, collection, and which of our Australian endemic coral are sold on international markets.
PhD Candidate
Marie graduated from the University of Aix-Marseille in France, where she majored in Criminal Law, with a specialization in European Criminal Law. Marie is pursuing her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Phillipa McCormack and Dr. Kellie Toole while collaborating with the Wildlife Crime Hub. Her research focus on comparative criminal law frameworks to address water pollution crime in Australia and Europe. Her goal is to contribute to the development of effective legal mechanisms that strengthen environmental protection and accountability on a global scale.
Thomas is a quantitative ecologist with a particular interest in understanding and forecasting the dynamics of wildlife populations, and informing the management of threatened species. Thomas uses data and models to address applied ecological questions in the fields of wildlife management, fisheries, conservation biology and disease ecology. Very occasionally he is sighted doing fieldwork.
Bec undertakes research and monitoring on threatened birds. Current projects include post-fire bird monitoring on Kangaroo Island and acoustic monitoring of Bassian Thrush throughout the Mt Lofty Ranges. She also Chairs the Threatened Mallee Bird Conservation Action Plan Implementation Team, a tri-state project.
John is a national biosecurity consultant, based at Rockleigh in the Adelaide Hills. His previous working life was in the South Australian government as leader of biosecurity policy and invasive species management. He’s particularly partial to plants, whether weedy, exotic or native, and is currently President of Trees For Life.
