Find an expert

Ecological and evolutionary genomics

My research group uses genetic markers as tools for understanding dispersal and gene flow, often with conservation implications and most frequently focusing on highly dispersive marine animals such as fishes, mussels, and corals. We also study how gene flow and natural selection affect genomic variation and limit gene exchange across genomes, populations, and species.

Dr Vivian Rincon is a microbiologist from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia . She joined the University of Queensland (UQ) in 2008 as RA to work in projects related to plant-pathogen interactions and soil microbiology. She obtained a scholarship from the Grain Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) to start her PhD on the effect of tillage on soil microbial communities in wheat fields. Following her studies, she joined Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) at UQ to work on different aspects of disease management in broadacre crops. Currently, she is a research fellow at the Centre for Horticulturals Science (CHS) working on an integrated disease management approach for the Macadamia industry.

Dr Karl Robinson joined QAAFI’s Centre for Horticultural Science (frm. Centre for Plant Sciences) in 2012 as a molecular biologist specialising in RNAi applications against animal and plant viruses. Karl received his doctoral degree from The University of Queensland, School of Veterinary Science in 2009 and was awarded the 2009 UQ Deans Award. Karl has held postdoctoral research positions within Queensland Government/The University of Queensland - Agricultural Biotechnology Centre and the Viral Pathogenesis and Vaccine Group at the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organisation, The University of Saskatchewan, Canada, before joining QAAFI. In 2017, Dr Robinson was awarded the Queensland State Government - Advance Queensland Reseach Fellowship to conduct research into alternative insect and virus control methods using RNAi and nanotechnology. Currently, a senior research fellow, supported by Grains Research Development Corporation, Karl is leading research into spray-on RNAi applications for viruses and insects in high value grain crops. Karl supervises several higher degree research students and delivers the plant virology lectures of the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences 3rd year virology course at UQ.

Professor Dr. Rodriguez is a biophysicist trained at Wageningen University, specializing in crop ecophysiology and systems modelling to enhance adaptation in broadacre crops. His recent research focuses on trait physiology and high-throughput field phenotyping for drought tolerance in grain crops. He combines empirical research, crop modelling, and data analytics to develop more profitable, sustainable, and resilient crops and cropping systems. Dr. Rodriguez collaborates with institutions in Australia and various countries in eastern and southern Africa, Indonesia, Latin America, and China. He served as President of the Australian Society of Agronomy and organized the 2022 Australian Agronomy Conference. He has contributed to the Academic Board of the University of Queensland and its Research and Innovation Committee. Dr. Rodriguez is the founding editor-in-chief of Nature’s npj Sustainable Agriculture and serves as an Expert Advisor for the Independent Science for Development Council of CGIAR. He is also a member of the College of Experts at the University of Queensland’s Global Change Institute and sits on the Editorial Board of multiple academic journals.

Research interest: Monitoring ecosystem health of coral reefs and seagrass habitats, integrating field and remote sensing image datasets, and the developing applied cost-effective mapping and monitoring approaches. Developed approaches have been adopted as standard practice globally, making a difference in conservation of these valuable habitats. The long term monitoring studies at Heron and Moreton Bay formed the basis for the development of mapping and monitoring over time and space at local to global scale. See here major research impact

Major projects:

• Long term monitoring of benthic composition at Heron Reef (2002-ongoing).
• Long term monitoring of seagrass composition and abundance in Moreton bay Marine Park (2000-ongoing).
• Smart Sat CRC Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Seagrass and Coral Reefs 2023-2027.
• Developement of Underwater Field Spectrometry and Benthic Photo Collection and Analysis
• 3D GBR Habitat Mapping Project 2015 - ongoing:
• Global habitat mapping project 2019-2023 Allen Coral Atlas .

Current position: Associate Professior in Marine Remote Sensing leading the Marine Ecosystem Monitoring Lab. . Academic Director Heron Island Research Station and affiliated researchers with Centre for Marine Science and Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science

Capacity Building and Citizen Science: Capacity: under/post graduate courses; Msc/PhD supervision, workshops/courses; Remote Sensing Educational Toolkit, and online courses (e.g. TNC).Strong supporter of citizen science based projects, as trainer, organiser and advisor for Reef Check Australia, CoralWatch, Great Reef Census and UniDive.

Professor Eugeni Roura is a nutritionist with interests in digestive physiology and gut health, chemosensory science (including taste and smell) and transgenerational mechanisms relevant to chickens, pigs and humans. Eugeni holds a Veterinary and PhD degrees from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a MPhil and post-doctoral appointments at the University of California (Davis). He developed a sixteen-year career in the feed and food industries before joining The University of Queensland (2010) where he currently leads the Nutrition & Chemosensory Science Group. The main current research areas in animal science include appetite modulation in chickens and pigs, nutrition interventions to boost embryonic/foetal development (including “in ovo”), and strategies to improve sustainability of chicken meat, egg and pork production. In human nutrition the focus is around food allergies and appendicitis. In 2011, Eugeni joined the UQ School of Biomedical Sciences as an Affiliated Lecturer. Since 2010 he has graduated 20 PhD students in Australia, published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, and has been invited as keynote speaker to more than 50 national and international scientific meetings. He is currently serving as President of the World’s Poultry Science Association (Australia branch), Director of the AgriFutures Chicken Meat Consortium, and member of the National Committee for Nutrition (Australian Academy of Sciences), R&D and Education Committees of the Australasian Pork Research Institute Ltd., and the Federation of Oceania Nutrition Societies. He was the recipient of the Nutrition Society of Australia 2024 Medal award.

I graduated from The University of Queensland Gatton Campus in 1994, taking my first position within the School of Veterinary Science in October 1994. I am an experienced Veterinary Technical Officer, qualified Veterinary Nurse and Workplace Trainer and Assessor. I have a strong background in animal husbandry and welfare, behaviour, applied animal ethics, and sustainable wellbeing with more than 30 years’ experience in varied animal and veterinary research paradigms.

Following 18 years as Manager of the Clinical Studies Centre (CSC) within the School of Veterinary Science, I moved into a Level A academic position and was appointed Academic Program Coordinator for the Bachelor of Veterinary Technology degree at UQ (2013 - 2019). Concurrently, I held the position of Director of the CSC from 2013 – 2018. I teach primarily into the BVetTech and BVSc programs but also contribute to several other animal-related programs at the UQ Gatton Campus.

My passion for teaching, and commitment to instil a desire in all students to embrace life-long learning underpins my teaching and mentoring philosophy.

I gained my PhD in 2017 and have expanded my areas of speciality research to include the psychology of human – animal relationships, animal behaviour and animal-related occupational trauma and healing. I am a Compassion Fatigue Specialist Therapist, and recieved my Graduate Diploma in Psychological Sciences in 2022. Having lived experience of occupational trauma and compassion fatigue, I present extensively in these subject areas as well as in psychological wellbeing and emotional intelligence. Further to presentations, I also provide interactive, thought-provoking seminars and workshops within all sectors of animal-related industries and occupations.

Dr Maral Seididamyeh is a food scientist whose research focuses on utilising natural metabolites to develop antimicrobial and preservation technologies, including photodynamic treatment and edible coatings, to enhance food safety, quality, and shelf life.

Her research also explores the valorisation of agricultural and food industry by-products through bioactive extraction, fermentation, and micro/nano-delivery systems to develop functional ingredients and nutraceuticals for healthier food products.

Dr Shapter's background was originally in Agricultural Science and higher education which evolved to the completion of her PhD in molecular genetics in 2008. Prior to her current appointments she was the senior researcher on ARC linkage, Australian Flora Foundation and RIRDC research grants looking at the genetic foundations of domestication and adaptation in Australian native grasses. She supervised two HDR students and has a strong publication record in this field. Her research interests centre on identifying and developing practical applications for gene sequencing. Fran is passionate about teaching and has worked as a facilitator commercially and trained early career researchers and PhD candidates in Project Management, IP and commercialisation and Leadership. She was a participant in the 2020 summit and was appointed to the federal advisory Rural R&D Council in 2009. Dr Shapter was also a sitting member of the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator's Ethics and Community Consultative Committee, 2016-2020.

Fran began tutoring at the UQ School of Veterinary Science in 2011, in large animal production, parasitology and microbiology. Since then she has held a variety of teaching, research and professional roles based around project management, curriculum design and blended learning design. She was the project manager for a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) grant which developed 40 vertically and horizontally integrated, online, adaptive tutorials for veterinary science students and was co-author on the manual developed by this project. She assisted with the development of a new flexible delivery laboratory animal science course in 2015 and delivers 5 weeks of online learning units into this course currently. She has been part of the SoTL research and evaluation associated with both these projects and has reported outcomes at University showcases annually since 2016.

In 2017 Fran became the new Student Clinical Skills Hub Coordinator, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art self-directed learning facility for students of veterinary science. Whilst undertaking this role student usage, resource availability and online support for the Hub has increased more than tenfold. Fran's aim is to provide a safe, authentic, self-directed learning environment where students can practice their clinical skills in accordance with individual competences, beyond the scheduled contact hours of their programs and further enhance their capacity for self-directed, lifelong learning whilst acknowledging the vast array of qualifications, previous training, life experience and cultural backgrounds each student brings with them to the Hub.In 2020 Fran recieved a UQ Teaching Excellence Award due to the demonstarted impact of the SVS Student Clinical Skills Hub.

In 2019 Fran was appointed as a Lecturer in Veterinary Science, while continuing her role as the Hub's coordinator. She continues to maintain her teaching roles into the veterinary program in animal handling, animal production, reproduction, microbiology, parasitology and plant identification. Fran has an additional role in the School with regard to asissting with the design, development and integration of blended learning resources, after working with the Science faculties blended learning design team in 2018. However her SoTL portfolio is best showcased by the development of the online learning community and training resources she has developed for the Student Clinical Skills Hub. As of June 2021, Fran has also taken on the role of the School of Veterinary Science Honours Program Coordinator.

Heather attained her Bachelor of Technology degree in food engineering from Massey University. She then spent 10 years in gelatine manufacture in various roles including quality assurance, production management and process improvement engineering. In 2015 she completed her PhD study into the rheology of biopolymer soft particle suspensions, supervised by Professor Jason Stokes at the University of Queensland. She has since continued at UQ in postdoctoral roles investigating the relationship between rheological properties, food structure and sensory perception of real food products and model soft particle suspensions with a focus on dairy protein systems. The key outcomes from the project have allowed our industry partner to move towards the rational design of food products.

With a strong foundation in food science, fermentation, analytical chemistry, and sustainable food systems, Jiahua’s work focuses on microbial transformation of natural food into high-value functional food products using advanced fermentation technologies, including food grade fermentation and solid-state fermentation. Her research helps address critical industry challenges such as food waste reduction, upcycling of processing residues, development of novel food ingredients, and improvement of nutritional profiles in food and beverage products. Another key focus of Jiahua’s role is developing innovative food products and conducting shelf life testing. She transforms novel ideas into market-ready products by carefully balancing functionality, nutrition, sensory quality, and commercial feasibility.

Jiahua has led and contributed to numerous nationally and internationally funded research projects, collaborating with food industry partners, government agencies, and research institutions across Australia, China, Singapore, and Denmark. Her translational research supports industry needs in product innovation, ingredient development, and sustainable processing. Since 2015, Jiahua has attracted 6 research grants (>1.2 million) as chief investigator (lead CI and/or co-CI).

Jiahua recently secured a $5.6 million research project in May 2025 as the Lead Chief Investigator for “Premium Oat Innovations: Developing High-Value Oat-Based Food Products for Emerging Markets.” This project aims to create innovative, oat-based solutions tailored to evolving global consumer needs, with a strong focus on nutrition, sensory quality, and market differentiation.

Tina is a quantitative marine and coral reef ecologist focused on understanding the drivers of reef community dynamics, from food-web structure and energy flow to habitat connectivity and population processes. She integrates field ecology, laboratory analyses, and big-data modelling to answer applied questions for conservation, with particular expertise in stable isotope ecology and ecosystem modelling.

​​Based at the University of Queensland and affiliated with the Centre for Marine Science and the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, she currently models Crown-of-Thorns Starfish outbreak dynamics on the Great Barrier Reef to identify strategies that maximise the effectiveness of limited manual control resources. This work contributes directly to management through the COTS Control Innovation Program with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and national partners.

She has over a decade of international experience leading cross-sector collaborations with governments, NGOs, research institutions, Indigenous peoples, and local communities across Australia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean, and is committed to translating complex biodiversity data into decisions that benefit both people and nature. She is also passionate about communicating science to diverse audiences and engaging the next generation in marine research.

RESEARCH INTERESTS Fire Ecology, Restoration Ecology, Ecological Genomics, Wildlife Science, Conservation Biology, Invasive Plants

My research group studies fire ecology and conservation biology. Currently, we are working on:

• Using fire to benefit plant biodiversity and manage invasive plants
• Predicting effects of changing fire regimes on plant-animal interactions
• Native grassland restoration
• Biodiversity in agricultural landscapes

We have a special interest in plants and animals living in fire-prone areas because of the fascinating fact that these ecosystems are never static but continually re-shaped by cycles of fire and regeneration. While being grounded in fundamental biology and ecological theory, our research is always aimed at improving knowledge for biodiversity conservation. Our work has applications in fire management, biological invasion and threatened species conservation.

TECHNICAL APPROACHES: POPULATION GENETICS | SPATIAL LANDSCAPE GENETICS | DEMOGRAPHIC SIMULATION MODELLING | STATISTICAL MODELLING OF POPULATIONS & COMMUNITIES | BIOINFORMATICS | SPATIAL ANALYSIS IN R | We also know how to drop a hand-made 1 x 1 m polypipe quadrat on the ground and do good old-fashioned field work.

TEACHING: I teach ecology, wildlife science and environmental science at UQ. My teaching and coordination activities have included Elements of Ecology (AGRC1032), Wildlife Technology (ANIM3018) and People Fire & Environment (ENVM3215 / ENMV7530).

EDITORIAL I am Associate Editor for Wildlife Letters (2023–)

I was Associate Editor for Journal of Applied Ecology for four years (2018–2022).

CURRICULUM VITAE

• 2019 – current Lecturer, University of Queensland
• 2018 – 2022 Associate Editor, Journal of Applied Ecology
• 2018 – 2019 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin
• 2016 – 2017 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin
• 2015 – 2016 Post-doctoral Research Assistant, University of Melbourne
• 2015 – 2016 Self-employed Consultant Ecologist, Canberra
• 2012 – 2014 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Australian National University

EDUCATION

2012 PhD in Ecology, Australian National University

2006 BSc in Biodiversity Conservation Honours, Flinders University

2005 BSc in Biodiversity Conservation, Flinders University

Dr Millicent Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Crop Physiology at The University of Queensland. Her research is focused on understanding the physiological mechanisms that underpin yield stability and quality in grain legumes. Millicent works closely with breeders, both in Australia and overseas, to develop improved knowledge on abiotic stress adaptation and tools to accelerate genetic gain. Dr Smith leads a national research project funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation focused on deploying novel phenotyping and genomics approaches to fast-track the development of new chickpea varieties that display lower yield loss in response to high temperature. Millicent is passionate about training the next generation of plant scientists. She leads a growing research team of postdoctoral scientists, postgraduate and undergraduate research students and has been awarded for her innovative teaching approaches applied to large undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Professor Heather Smyth helps industry understand what makes food taste great - and how to deliver it consistently. Her research integrates sensory science, flavour chemistry, food structure, and consumer insights to identify the drivers of consumer acceptance and translate these into product innovation and optimisation.

She works across the agri-food value chain - linking primary production, processing and formulation to consumer experience - supporting the development of differentiated, high-value Australian products. Her research spans formulated foods, horticultural produce, meat, seafood and cereals, as well as premium foods including wine, coffee and high-value speciality crops. She has a particular interest in supporting ‘Brand Australia’ by defining and communicating the unique quality, provenance and sensory characteristics of Australian foods. Professor Smyth is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST).

Professor Smyth is particularly focused on anticipating future consumer needs and supporting industry to respond, guiding the development of products and agri-food systems that align with evolving expectations around quality, health, sustainability and experience.

Ricardo J. Soares Magalhães is Professor of Zoonotic Disease Epidemiology and Biosecurity and Director of the Queensland Alliance for One Health Sciences. Prof. Soares Magalhaes is a European Veterinary Board Specialist in Population Medicine with extensive national and international research experience in three main areas: spatial epidemiology of zoonotic infections, outbreak response for emerging zoonoses and risk assessment of animal’s environmental health/biosecurity. A key focus of his team's current research is to develop geographical risk assessment methods to assist climate-sensitive zoonotic infectious disease prioritisation for improved surveillance and risk management in both human and animal populations.

Prof. Soares Magalhães’s team is currently leading the development of a number of epidemiological data analytics platforms including for zoonotic influenza (WHO SEARO, Word Bank), antimicrobial resistance in agribusinesses and the environment (SAAFE CRC) and veterinary clinical data (VARDC and ACARCinom).