photo
Projects

8

Publications

13

Awards

10

Biography

I am interested in the evolutionary genomics of Southern Ocean marine benthic taxa. Topics include how animals survived in the historic Pleistocene Southern Ocean environments and how to apply this knowledge to advance understanding of Antarctica's physical past and our futures.  

Research

Research Interests

Population genomics

Evolutionary genetics

Antarctic benthic ecology and evolution

Antarctic ice sheet growth and collapse

Projects
Australian Venom Innovation and Discovery (AVID) Initiative
01 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2026
Australian Venom Innovation and Discovery (AVID) Initiative
01 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2026
Harnessing animal genomes to understand East Antarctic Ice Sheet melt history
03 Nov 2025 - 31 Dec 2027
From reference genome to resilience: determining the future of Southern Ocean benthos in light of climatic change
01 Sep 2025 - 01 Sep 2026
Decoding the genomic basis underpinning Southern Ocean ecosystem resilience to change
01 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2025
On the evolutionary rescue of Antarctic marine fauna – did the IPCC AR6 get it right? (Old ID 29003)
22 May 2023 - 22 May 2025
Reconstructing past grounded ice extent over time around Wilkes Land margin, East Antarctica, using animal genomes (Old ID 27730)
01 Jun 2022 - 31 Dec 2023
Molecular signatures of historic glacial events in marine benthic taxa (Old ID 26383)
01 Jun 2019 - 31 May 2021

Teaching

Research Advisor Accreditation
Advisor Type

Primary

Current JCU Research Students
A genetics perspective: dispersal of benthic invertebrates in the southern ocean
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Population Genomics of the Remote Sub-Antarctic Heard Island and McDonald Islands benthic taxa
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Completed Honours and External Research Students
Population connectivity and fine scale dispersal of an Antarctic sea slug Doris “kerguelenensis”
HONOURS

Activities

Consultancy
Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, Early Career Researcher (ECR) representation on the Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF) International Science Advisory Panel
2022 - 2022
Education
MSci Marine Biology (honours), University of Southampton
2012 - 2016
PhD (cum laude), James Cook University
2018 - 2022
Committees
Antarctica InSync - SOBIS: Survey of spatial Southern Ocean biodiversity
2026
Healthy and Resilient Ocean Working Group, Southern Ocean United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
2022
Awards
AeRO Cloud Grants Program
2021
Antarctic Science International Bursary
2019
Promoting Environmental Research (David Pearse Bequest)
2018
James Cook University Postgraduate Research Scholarship
2018
Antarctic Science Foundation PhD student support grant
2020
The Undergraduate Awards: Highly Commended Entrant
2016
University of Southampton Tyler Prize for the Best MSci Marine Biology Project
2016
SCAR INSTANT fellowship
2022
Winner of the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research
2025
Excellence for a Higher Degree by Research (Doctoral) Thesis
2022
Media
https://theconversation.com/what-octopus-dna-tells-us-about-antarctic-ice-sheet-collapse-218810, The Conversation
2023
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/21/climate/octopus-west-antarctic-ice-sheet.html?mwgrp=c-dbar&unlocked_article_code=1.Hk0.Iw5P.EZAFOf3T1HLo&smid=url-share, The New York Times
2023
Antarctic Octopus Holds Secrets of Prehistoric Ice Loss in Its Genome, Scientific American
2023
Octopus DNA seems to confirm scientists’ theory about a long-standing geological mystery, CNN
2023
Octopuses help solve a longstanding mystery of West Antarctica demise, The Washington Post
2023
Clue to rising sea levels lies in DNA of 4m-year-old octopus, scientists say, The Guardian
2023
First Dog On the Moon. EXCLUSIVE: The octopus sex scandal that rocked the Antarctic, Guardian Australia
Employment
Research Assistant, University of Hong Kong
2016 - 2018
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, James Cook University
2022

Output

Southern Ocean Action Plan (2021-2030) in support of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
2022
Janssen, Annemie R.; Badhe, Renuka; Bransome, Nicole C.; Bricher, Phillippa; Cavanagh, Rachel; de Br...
Other Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Chromosome-scale genome assembly of the tropical abalone (Haliotis asinina)
2024
Barkan, Roy; Cooke, Ira; Watson, Sue-Ann; Lau, Sally C.Y.; Strugnell, Jan M. (2024) 'Chromosome-scal. Scientific Da, 11 (1). [D ...
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Genomic evidence for West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse during the Last Interglacial
2023
Lau, Sally C. Y.; Wilson, Nerida G.; Golledge, Nicholas R.; Naish, Tim R.; Watts, Phillip C.; Silva,...
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Genomic insights of evolutionary divergence and life histories innovations in Antarctic brittle stars
2023
Lau, Sally C.Y.; Strugnell, Jan M.; Sands, Chester J.; Silva, Catarina N.S.; Wilson, Nerida G. (2023...
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Emerging biological archives can reveal ecological and climatic change in Antarctica
2022
Strugnell, Jan M.; Mcgregor, Helen; Wilson, Nerida G.; Meredith, Karina T.; Chown, Steven L.; Lau, S...
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Evolutionary innovations in Antarctic brittle stars linked to glacial refugia
2021
Lau, Sally C.Y.; Strugnell, Jan M.; Sands, Chester J.; Silva, Catarina N.S.; Wilson, Nerida G. (2021...
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Population genomics of the Eastern Rock Lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi, during spawning stock recovery from over-exploitation
2021
Woodings, Laura N.; Murphy, Nicholas P.; Liggins, Geoffrey W.; Miller, Marcus E.; Ballinger, Giles M...
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Restoration potential of Asian oysters on heavily developed coastlines
2020
Lau, Sally C.Y.; Thomas, Marine; Hancock, Boze; Russell, Bayden D. (2020) 'Restoration potential of . Restoration Ecology, 28 (6):1643-1653. [D ...
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Something old, something new: historical perspectives provide lessons for blue growth agendas
2020
Caswell, Bryony A.; Klein, Emily S.; Alleway, Heidi; Ball, Johnathan E.; Botero, Julián; Cardinale, ...
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Detecting glacial refugia in the Southern Ocean
2020
Lau, Sally C. Y.; Wilson, Nerida G.; Silva, Catarina N. S.; Strugnell, Jan M. (2020) 'Detecting glac. Ecography, 43 (11):16...
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Rapid assessment of the invasive Xenostrobus securis on cultured oysters in Hong Kong
2018
Lau, Sally C.Y.; Brettell, Dominic L.D.F.; Astudillo, Juan C. (2018) 'Rapid assessment of the invasi. Regional Studies in Marine S, 17 :11-16. [DOI] ...
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
The reproductive ecology of the Antarctic bivalve Aequiyoldia eightsii (Protobranchia: Sareptidae) follows neither Antarctic nor taxonomic patterns
2018
Lau, Sally C.Y.; Grange, Laura J.; Peck, Lloyd S.; Reed, Adam J. (2018) 'The reproductive ecology of. Polar Biology, 41 :1693-1706. [DOI] ...
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Is the Southern Ocean ecosystem primed for change or at the cliff edge?
2022
Lau, Sally C.Y.; Strugnell, Jan M. (2022) 'Is the Southern Ocean ecosystem primed for change or at t Global Change Biology, 28 (15) :4493-4494. [DOI] ...
Journal Contribution ResearchOnline@JCU