Profile page
A/Prof. Anthony Boxshall
Research interests
Marine ecology, coastal climate adaptation, pollution impact and management, and environmental sciences
- Integrating environmental research into practice in Government
- Pollution Impacts and Management (plastics, faecal matter, PFAS and other pollutants)
- Marine and Coastal adaptation to climate change
- Ecological engineering and habitat restoration
- Citizen science
- Science Communication
Dr Allyson O'Brien
Research interests
Innovation and Impact in BioSciences Education
- improving conceptual understanding of biological concepts
- supporting scientific skill development
- improving online learning
- improving assessment design
Dr Lara Grollo
Research interests
Innovation and Impact in BioSciences Education
Lara Grollo is currently a Bioscience Lecturer at the University of Melbourne. Lara holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and PhD from the University of Melbourne, and her PhD thesis was titled 'Design and development of synthetic vaccine constructs and delivery systems'. Her research interests include enterovirus vaccine design and antiviral discovery;dengue fever virus vaccine design and antiviral discovery;and influenza virus antiviral discovery. Lara has recently completed a master's degree in education and is pursuing research in tertiary education within the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). Lara is now a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
- improving conceptual understanding of biological concepts
- supporting scientific skill development
- improving online learning
- improving assessment design
Dr Gerard Tarulli
Research interests
Reproductive and developmental biology
My research investigates the role of sex steroid hormones (estrogen, progesterone and androgen) in the development of reproductive organs, and how these hormones are disrupted by chemicals in our everyday environment. I am also part of a team developing genetic engineering techniques as a conservation tool for Australian marsupials.
- Reproduction and development
- Steroid Biology
- Biomedical models of disease
- Sexual differentiation
- Molecular, cellular and hormonal regulation of tissue development
- Endocrine disruption
- Genetic engineering
Dr John Morrongiello
Research interests
Marine and freshwater ecology and evolution
We are a group of ecologists and evolutionary biologists working in marine and freshwater systems investigating how animals respond to environmental change on contemporary and evolutionary time scales. We are keenly interested in the impacts of, and adaptations to, fishery activity, natural and human-induced flow variability, and environmental change. We ask questions at different levels of biological organisation, ranging from individuals (e.g. growth and behaviour) to assemblages (e.g. diversity and fishery productivity), using field-based and experimental techniques.
- Climate change impact and adaptation
- Evolutionary and behavioural ecology
- Sustainable fisheries
- fishig iduced evolution
- River regulation and habitat restoration
- Life histories
Prof. Nina Wedell
Research interests
Evolutionary biology
The Wedell research lab is focused on illuminating the role of genomic parasites in generating intragenomic conflict, predominantly working with insects. We explore the fundamental characteristic of selfish genes as agents of sexual selection and sexual conflict and aim to elucidate the consequences of these for hosts’ mating systems, the evolution of new traits, the creation of biological novelty, and the survival of populations.
- evolutionary ecology of sexual reproduction
- sexual selection and sexual conflict
- selfish genetic elements
- pesticide resistance
- intragenomic conflict
A/Prof. Ben Phillips
Research interests
Population biology
My group works on evolution, ecology, and how spatial processes influence evolution. We have broad theoretical interests, but tend to work on empirical systems with applied value, including invasive species, parasites, pathogens, and species of conservation concern.
- Invasive species
- Population biology
- Quantitative ecology
- Statistical modelling
- Simulation modelling
Dr. Rebecca Hull
Research interests
Innovation and Impact in BioSciences Education
I am a marine biologist and ecologist (BSc, MSc, PhD), working as an education-focused academic in the School of BioSciences. I work closely with colleagues to improve the delivery of subjects and to develop curricula (e.g., concepts/content, classes, assessment), including weaving Indigenous Knowledges into our subjects (e.g., field trips, practicals, tutorials, lectures, assessment).
- improving conceptual understanding of biological concepts
- supporting scientific skill development
- improving online learning
- improving assessment design
- equity and inclusion in STEM education
- Indigenous Knowledges
Research projects
- Ecological impacts of microplastics in Port Phillip Bay. This project will involve collecting field data on microplastic fibres and running laboratory experiments to test if they accumulate in fish and invertebrates. (with Dr Allyson O'Brien and Prof. Mick Keough)
- Assessing the social acceptance of using nature-based coastal defence structures in Victoria (with Dr Beth Strain).
- I am interested in co-supervision for other MSc projects that have a demonstrable potential impact into policy, management, planning or regulation. My involvement will be focused on the integration of research outcomes into Government practice.
- MIDYEAR. Building a co-designed delivery of Indigenous Knowledges in tertiary-level marine biology curricula.
- Relationships between predator activity, predator density and Malleefowl breeding activity
- Identifying optimal approaches for plant abundance estimation
- MIDYEAR. Building scientific skills in Biosciences students
- MIDYEAR. Improving conceptual understanding of biology
- MIDYEAR. Evaluating the effectiveness of online learning activities
- MIDYEAR. Making the most of the situation: using COVID as a teaching moment
- Making the world's first genetically engineered Australian marsupial
- Developing new tests to assess the impact of environmental chemicals
- Fishing and climate change impacts on fish growth
- Assessing the impacts of selective harvest on behaviour, growth and metabolism in fish
- Developing an effective method for introducing genes into an eastern barred bandicoot population
- Hopping over barriers;estimating the risk of cane toads breaching containment efforts
- The distribution and dynamics of Toxoplasmosis in Australia
- Modelling the eradication of cats on Kangaroo Island
- Gene drives for population supression
- The effect of individual amino acids in insect resistance
- The effect of transposable elements on fertility
- The role of a sexual dimorphic gene on insecticide resistance
- Evolution of allele polymorphisms in natural populations exposed to climate change
- The synergism between temperature and insecticides on the demise of insect populations
- Building a co-designed delivery of Indigenous Knowledges in tertiary-level BioSciences curricula