Team

Richard Reina
Richard Reina Professor and Research Group Leader
My research focuses on understanding how animals respond to challenges from their environments and from human activity and then using this knowledge to inform better conservation and management.
Sean Williamson
Sean WilliamsonPostdoctoral Fellow
Sean’s research focuses on three broad areas of ecophysiology, spatial ecology, and conservation science and planning.
David Adams
David AdamsPhD candidate
David’s PhD research aims to increase our understanding of embryonic developmental patterns in reptiles, with a focus on increasing sea turtle reproductive success.
Natarsha Babic
Natarsha BabicPhD candidate
Natarsha’s PhD research aims to investigate the influence of habitat quality and differential hunting regimes on Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos) ecophysiology in the Dinaric Mountains.
Adam Yaney-Keller
Adam Yaney-KellerPhD candidate
Adam’s PhD aims to explore how plastic entanglement impacts marine predator populations by studying the effects of entanglement on the health and behaviour of Australian fur seals. As part of this, he is testing new methods for the use of drone-brone thermal and colour imaging techniques to better detect and quantify rates of entanglement in Australian fur seal populations. Adam is also examining the effects of entanglement on the health (via physiological markers of stress) and behaviour (via accelerometry, time-depth-recorders, and GPS tracking) of Australian fur seals at Seal Rocks, off Phillip Island.
Julia Braga Morais
Julia Braga MoraisPhD candidate
Julia’s PhD project will investigate how changes in the environment influence the foraging and breeding performance of little penguins in the urban colony of St Kilda. This study will focus on their spatial distribution, foraging performance, dietary diversity, diving behaviour and reproductive outcome.
Sylvie Evans
Sylvie EvansHonours Student
Sylvie’s honours project explores the impact of diet and environmental conditions on the growth of little penguin chicks in Phillip Island.