Current Research Students
Our students work on a range of exciting projects, which are outlined below.
Lily Munro (Honours Student) is characterising the reproductive genes of koalas. She will also be comparing the diversity of these genes at a population level across the species range. She aims to find some correlation between the known breeding success rates of koalas, and the genetic differences between populations and to contribute to the species’ ongoing conservation programs.
Sam Bagot (PhD Student) is working towards the development of several genomic resources for phascolarctos cinereus (koalas). This includes the first marsupial pangenome which will allow for improved mapping of genomic data across diverse populations, and the analysis of structural variation and their potential impact on phenotype. Additionally, he aims to generate low cost, methylation based epigenetic clocks capable of aging wild animals significantly more accurate than current field methods such as tooth wear classes.
Jian Cui (PhD Student) is investigating the immune gene characterization and expression in the Tasmanian devil and other marsupials.
Andrea Schraven (PhD Student; co-supervised with Dr Catherine Grueber) is projecting the long-term impacts of supplementation to improve the status of wild Tasmanian devil populations with the ongoing threat of DFTD. By evaluating population genetic and fitness data before and after translocations, she is comparing how populations change over a few generations, and then feeding the data into computational models to simulate “evolutionary time”. The results will directly inform conservation management decisions for the species long-term recovery.
Toby Kovacs (PhD Student) I am using historical and modern Koala genomes to assess shifts in functional diversity over time, estimate genomic mutation rates, and test for signatures of local adaptation. I have a background in phylogenetics and molecular evolution and am completing my PhD in the Molecular Ecology, Evolution and Phylogenetics Lab in collaboration with the Australian Wildlife Genomics Group and the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics (University of Copenhagen).
Patra Petrohilos (PhD Student) is researching the evolution of devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). By investigating anticancer properties of naturally occurring peptides, she is aiming to identify novel agents with therapeutic potential against DFTD.
Adele Gonsalvez (PhD Student) is using a variety of ‘omics resources to investigate the unique genes, peptides and traits of Australia’s monotremes. This work particularly focuses on the characterisation and functional investigation of platypus venom and monotreme-specific genes, aiming to discover novel components and their functions to better understand these animals.