College of Science & Engineering
Sophia Love
- Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
- sophie.love@jcu.edu.au
Elle Robertson
- Doctor of Philosophy (Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies)
- elle.robertson@jcu.edu.au
Romain Vaucher
- Senior Lecturer, Sedimentology
- romain.vaucher@jcu.edu.au
Jenny Fisher
- Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching
- jenny.fisher@jcu.edu.au
Ambili Narayanan
- Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
- ambili.narayanan@my.jcu.edu.au
Sarfaraz Ali
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- sarfaraz.ali@jcu.edu.au
Mikaeylah Davidson
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- mikaeylah.davidson@jcu.edu.au
Liuxin Chen
- Lecturer
- liuxin.chen@jcu.edu.au
Rafael Cabral Carvalho
- Lecturer, Marine Geoscience
- rafael.cabralcarvalho@jcu.edu.au
Tom Lloyd
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Global Ecosystems
- tom.lloyd@jcu.edu.au
Effective sampling of Acanthaster cf. solaris to provide early-warning of new and renewed outbreaks (Old ID 26779)
This project aims to develop a holistic monitoring program that will not only help to deliver an early-warning syste, but will increase the viability of culling CoTS populations even during non-outbreak periods with the ultimate goal of reducing the frequency and severity of future outbreaks. Perhaps even more importantly, this project will deliver (for the first time) spatially and temporally explicit information about the structure and dynamics of crown-of-thorns starfish within the “initiation zone” and in the lead-up to a new population irruption, which is a critical knowledge gap that limits understanding of the initiation and causes of population outbreaks.
Sex determination of fruit fly pupa using Near Infrared Spectroscopy. (Old ID 26970)
Implementation of an effective sterile insect program for fruit fly species Bactrocera tryoni requires that only sterile male insects be released. Therefore at some stage of the fly production process the females need to be removed. Hand sexing is very labour intensive and current automated systems based on colour and size are not effective in differentiating between male and female pupae for B. tryoni. Hence, a non-destructive, rapid method of sex separation is required that does not impact on the viability of the pupae and which can be incorporated into a mass rearing system. Preliminary research has demonstrated that Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) has great potential as an objective non-invasive method to sex B. tryoni pupae. The aim of this project is to develop and semi-automate a non-invasive rapid assessment technique to rapidly and consistently sort male and female B. tryoni pupae based on NIRS technology.
Reducing herbicide usage in the Burdekin and Proserpine reef catchment areas with precise robotic weed control in sugarcane (Old ID 26973)
The main objective of this project is to develop and build the world’s first robotic platform for selective weed control in sugarcane. Specifically, we aim to retrofit two 12-metre sugarcane booms for farmers in the Burdekin and Proserpine GBR catchment areas with state-of-the-art deep learning detection and spraying technology. The fundamental aim of this project is to significantly minimise the herbicide usage by selective spot spraying. We have set a target to reduce the knockdown herbicide usage on the chosen farms by 80% compared to the traditional blanket spraying that is performed during various stages of the crop cycle.
Coral Sea Bright Spot Reef Health and Resilience Survey – 2022-24 (Old ID 27830)
The Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP) covers approximately 990,000 km2 and includes over 30 individual reef systems that are surrounded by deep waters. Extensive bleaching of corals was recorded across shallow reef habitats within the CSMP in 2020 and 2021. This project will use surveys of benthic, fish and invertebrate communities to assess the ongoing effects and potential recovery from these back-to-back bleaching events.
Coral Sea Bright Spot Reef Health and Resilience Survey – 2022-24 (Old ID 27830)
The Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP) covers approximately 990,000 km2 and includes over 30 individual reef systems that are surrounded by deep waters. Extensive bleaching of corals was recorded across shallow reef habitats within the CSMP in 2020 and 2021. This project will use surveys of benthic, fish and invertebrate communities to assess the ongoing effects and potential recovery from these back-to-back bleaching events.
Intensive Breeding Potential of Redclaw Crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus: Evaluation and Improvements of Egg and Embryo Quality, and In Vitro Fertilization Perspectives (Old ID 27486)
The commercial expansion of redclaw is hampered by suboptimal methods used to produce fertilised eggs, asynchronous hatching, and mortalities of juveniles. This project seeks to characterise female broodstock fertility and improve hatchery productivity by developing tools to assess egg and embryo quality, induce gonadal maturation and egg release using dietary supplementation and hormonal treatments and by establishing artificial fertilization techniques. The study outcomes include validation of tools to select for egg quality and to develop strategies to facilitate synchronised spawning of redclaw within hatcheries to enhance reproductive performance and facilitate intensification of production.
Conservation genetics and population trends in the endangered Mahogany Glider (Petaurus gracilis) (Old ID 27035)
Forest clearances has resulted in severe habitat fragmentation that threats population connectivity and genetic diversity of Mahogany Gliders, an endangered gliding possum endemic to Australian Wet Tropics. Using species distribution modelling, we aim to map the glider’s current theoretical distribution, and based on that, conducting fieldworks to collect DNA samples from different populations. These DNA samples enable us to do fine-scaled genomic analyses to estimate the population size and structures of the Mahogany Gliders, and to know whether the population suffers from inbreeding. Knowing these information helps to identify important corridors to connect populations and guide future conservation plans.
NESP Tropical Water Quality Research Plan 7 (Old ID 27291)
The National Environmental Science Program Tropical Water Quality Hub, funded by the federal government, has funded a wide variety of research projects during its operations from 2015-2021. As this programme draws to a close, there is a need to repatriate the knowledge and learnings from these research projects to relevant stakeholders and end-users. This project will undertake a series of meetings and workshops with end-users to enable the outcomes of research to be adopted. This engagement process will include analysis and synthesis of data collected to date.
Can species interactions drive rapid niche evolution? (Old ID 23427)
Climate change can alter the distribution of speies and cause novel interactions This project will test whether such interactions can actually drive adaptation to the changing environment. Two Australian fruitfly species will be lab-reared separately and together along a thermal resource gradient. Estimates of each species' niche will be obtained. Using experimental evolution, resource space will then be manipulated to create competition and test whether either species/ niche will evolve into new space. A shift of either species beyond its former niche limits would provide evidence of the potential for evolutionary rescue via rapid adaptation to changing environmental conditions.
Can species interactions drive rapid niche evolution? (Old ID 23427)
Climate change can alter the distribution of speies and cause novel interactions This project will test whether such interactions can actually drive adaptation to the changing environment. Two Australian fruitfly species will be lab-reared separately and together along a thermal resource gradient. Estimates of each species' niche will be obtained. Using experimental evolution, resource space will then be manipulated to create competition and test whether either species/ niche will evolve into new space. A shift of either species beyond its former niche limits would provide evidence of the potential for evolutionary rescue via rapid adaptation to changing environmental conditions.
Brazilian national parks at risk
- 2020
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Researchers:William Laurance
Emerging challenges for sustainable development and forest conservation in Sarawak, Borneo
- 2020
- Public Library of Science
- Researchers:William Laurance
Autoweed: detecting Harrisia cactus in the Goondiwindi region for selective spot-spraying
- 2019
- Queensland Pest Animal and Weed Symposium
- Researchers:Bronson PhilippaMostafa Rahimi Azghadi
Nonlinear variation in clinging performance with surface roughness in geckos
- 2020
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Lin Schwarzkopf
Start Date:
01 Jan 2024
End Date:
01 Jan 2024
Title:
Animal Ethics Committee, JCU
Start Date:
01 Jan 2025
Title:
Veterinary Home Group, JCU
Start Date:
01 Jan 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2006
Title:
PhD in Natural and Physical Sciences (Discipline of Ecology and Evolution), James Cook University
Start Date:
01 Jan 2020
End Date:
01 Jan 2024
Start Date:
01 Jan 2014
End Date:
01 Jan 2018
Start Date:
01 Jan 2014
Title:
Fellow, Advance HE
Start Date:
01 Jan 2022
Start Date:
01 Jan 2012
End Date:
01 Jan 2016
Start Date:
01 Jan 1991
End Date:
01 Jan 1996