Now that we are one month ‘deep’ into 2020, we’d like to introduce you to the new members of our group!
We have recently welcomed three new postdoctoral fellows and one honours student. Combined, their projects fit nicely with the broader research aims of DEEP, with a strong emphasis on mathematical modelling to understand past extinction events and predict future biodiversity changes, to better inform conservation. Let’s take a closer look at the talents and interests of our new researchers!
Dr. Brianna Martin – Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Bree’s background is predominantly in mathematical modelling of biological and medical systems. She has joined the DEEP/CABAH team to develop mathematical methods and models towards understanding Australia’s megafauna extinction events. Bree’s Erdös number is 4 and her dog’s name is Desmond.
Dr. Tom Botterill-James – Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Tom’s research background is in ecology and evolution, with a focus on understanding the evolution of various social and life history traits in animals (from lizards, to birds, and beetles). With DEEP, Tom is excited to expand his research into the area of biodiversity conservation. He will be using a range of different approaches to develop improved predictions of biodiversity responses to an ever growing suite of human threats, such as conversion and modification of natural land for agriculture. Ultimately, he hopes this research will help identify ways to avoid negative biodiversity outcomes from human development.
Dr. Zach Aandahl – Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Zach has a background in data science, computational Bayesian analysis and population genetics. Zach will be working within the DEEP group to develop ecological models and perform inference on those models to gain a deeper insight into parameters of interest. In his spare time Zach enjoys bushwalking, jiujitsu and tending to the needs of his indoor cats.
Rahil Amin – Honours Student
Rahil is a BSc graduate interested in providing simple and creative solutions in conservation biology that accommodate ecological, social, and economic desires. His current research interest involves modelling the distribution of a rapidly expanding species. Following their introduction in the 1930s, superb lyrebirds have become substantial ecosystem engineers of Tasmania’s terrestrial communities. Rahil aims to estimate the rate of spread and the potential distribution of the Tasmanian lyrebird population and contribute to their management. As an undergraduate, Rahil researched the factors that mediate the distribution of yellow-tailed black cockatoo in Tasmania, providing pivotal implications for their conservation in our rapidly changing world.
We’re certainly excited to see how these projects evolve over the year and into the future!