My
overarching research interest is the application of molecular genetic theory and modern molecular techniques to better understand the evolution and maintenance
of biodiversity, at organismal and genetic levels, in the marine environment. As such I am interested in broad range of topics that include the evolutionary history of marine taxa; the molecular ecology, population genetics and mating systems of species; patterns of connectivity among geographically dispersed populations; and the ways in which these interacting factors impinge on the conservation
of marine biodiversity. For my doctoral research I studied the molecular ecology, evolution and conservation of a seriously understudied group, the hydrophiine sea snakes. These fascinating creatures are entirely marine, give birth to live young and there appears to be little connectivity among populations. Unfortunately some sea snake populations around Australia appear to be threatened and undergoing local extinctions. In the near future I will focus my research efforts on marine snakes with the aim to better understand the population dynamics of species with the aim of understanding the factors underlying recent population declines. In this current climate of global threats to biodiversity, it is important that our improved understanding of the molecular ecology and evolution of the marine environment translate directly into better conservation and management strategies for
marine wildlife and its natural habitats.
Find
out about sea snakes
My initial motivation to become a biologist was my love of wild places, particularly the
ocean, and it has always disturbed me that so many wild places
around the planet are being lost or destroyed. For many years
I spent all of my spare time and money travelling to wild places
in Australia, Africa and Asia. A highlight was spending a year
in East Africa in 1984, and seeing so much wildlife there while
travelling from place to place on the backs of trucks and on
trains, and in game parks. But of course I also heard many sad
stories about hunting and poaching and its impact on the wildlife.
I
realised that I wanted become a biologist sitting on a
beach on the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands in 1991.
I was camping in a cave on the beach and dreading
going back to the bleak winter in London and the Gulf War. I
had read in hundreds of nature magazines about scientists going
to wild and exotic places to research animals and how they were able to make
a difference to the conservation of wildlife around the world,
and wondered why I couldn’t do something like that. I
couldn’t find any good reasons.
I
moved to Townsville to study biology at James Cook University in 1994. Prior to that I worked as a registered nurse, Yoga teacher and massage
therapist. I really had no idea what it meant to be a scientist
and the process of becoming a biologist has been an adventure;
a huge, positive and exciting change and challenge for me. At
times I have been disappointed about how little impact science
seems to have on policy and management decisions, but at other
times I have been inspired by changes I see happening. My hope is that the collective scientific research endeavour currently underway contributes to the understanding,
appreciation and conservation of the amazing natural heritage
of this planet, especially the wilderness that we are fortunate
to still have in Australia.
