I am a comparative and environmental physiologist based at the University of Queensland. My research focuses primarily how the environment constrains the physiology of invertebrates, fish, amphibians and reptiles. I have a highly diverse research program that incorporates fundamental, curiosity-driven research and increasingly, a more applied research agenda in the emerging field of conservation physiology. Conservation physiology explores the responses of organisms to anthropogenic threats and attempts to determine the ecophysiological constraints dictated by current conditions and future environmental change. My research interests encompass the general areas of osmo- and ion-regulation, digestive and thermal physiology, environmental drivers of physiological function (specifically immune function and disease susceptibility) and animal performance in anthropogenically modified environments.
My lab investigates the physiological and behavioural responses of fish, frogs and reptiles to changing environmental conditions including assessing and predicting the impact of human-induced environmental change. A major thrust of this research is within the emerging field of Conservation Physiology. We are particularly interested in the capacity and plasticity of physiological systems (e.g. respiratory, cardiovascular, osmoregulatory, digestive and musculo-skeletal) to compensate and maintain performance under changing environmental conditions.
We combine lab-based experimental studies with fieldwork, and take an integrative approach that utilises ecological, behavioural, physiological and genomic methodologies. In the field we utilise remote sensing technology (acoustic and satellite telemetry, archival tags) to investigate the movement patterns and behaviours of animals in relation to environmental conditions.
Current projects include:
assessing the effects of increasing temperatures on sharks, frogs, turtles and crocodiles;
determining the physiological basis for the impact of increasing UV-B radiation on frogs;
diving behaviour and physiology of freshwater turtles and crocodiles;
acoustic and satellite tracking of sharks, turtles and crocodiles in Queensland;
regulation of physiological function in aestivating frogs
Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation
Senior Lecturer
School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert
Primary Areas of Interest: Comparative Animal Physiology, Animal Welfare and Conservation Physiology
I embarked on higher education at the University of the South Pacific, where I earned a Ph.D. in Biology. I conducted research work in non-invasive reproductive and stress endocrinology tools for amphibians, unlocking the secrets of the reproductive hormonal cycles and stress hormone responses of Fijian ground frogs.
My postdoctoral research fellowships took me to institutions across four countries: New Zealand, Australia, India, and Canada. Each destination enriched my knowledge and expertise, adding diverse dimensions to my academic repertoire. In 2010, I joined Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, where I began research on the Conservation Physiology of wildlife in collaboration with leading WIldlife Ecologists. The postdoctoral research has yielded remarkable insights into the physiological regulation of stress in amphibians and I also had opportunity to develop hormone monitoring tools for iconic Australian wildlife such as koalas. This exposure generated my passion to conduct further research on the health and welfare of koalas. Over these years, I have been lucky to work with and supervise over 20 Honours, Masters, and Ph.D. students.
My current research program seeks to bolster animal resilience through a multifaceted approach, involving physiology, behavior, and management practices.
I returned to Australia in 2015 upon completing my international postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Saskatchwen, Canada. Prior to starting Faculty appointment at UQ, I have had the worndeful opportunity to teach at regional universities including Charles Sturt University (Wagga Wagga) and Western Sydney University (Hawkesbury Campus).
I am currently based in the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability (AGFS) as academic member of the Animal Science Discipline Group. I teach primarily Animal Physiology & Anatomy and supervise a dynamic group of research scholars through the Stress Lab. I am Category B member of the UQ Animal Ethics Committee (NEWMA). I also represent the University of Queensland as a LINK member for the Universities Federation of Animal Welfare (UFAW).
International Engagement
In 2024, I was receipient of the Technical University of Munich Global Visiting Professor Fellowship Program and spent 6 weeks at the TUM School of Life Sciences (Bavaria).
I have engagement through the European Union Funded ClearFarm Research which brings Animal Welfare standards to livestock products from a farm to plate approach, using Smart-Farm and Precision Ag Technologies.
UQ joins €13m project to bring technology to livestock sector
In 2023, my team of scholars from the Stress Lab organised and Chaired the 38th Australia and New Zealand Society for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry (ANZSCPB) conference at the UQ, Gatton campus.
