Brief Research Overview

The Stress lab's main research themes are: 

Conservation Physiology 

Comparative Physiology

Stress Physiology

Adrenal Cortex Hormones

Wildlife Management Animal Ecology

Animal Health Wildlife Biology

Metabolism & Fitness

Reproductive Endocrinology

Immune Function

Production Animals 

Animal Welfare Glucocorticoids

Endangered Species

Climate Change

Ecology & Evolution

Neurobiology & Brain Physiology

Research Interests

• Animal Welfare, Conservation Physiology & Sustainable Agriculture
  I am keen to recruit postdocs, PhD students with laboratory experience in animal molecular biology (e.g. PCRs) and publications (this will be a plus point). I currently work mainly with sheep and koala research models.

Research Impacts

• Agriculture Sector - Dr. Narayan has a cross-sector network in primary industries through numerous national/international collaborations. For example, the Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, University Putra Malaysia (see publication), and SARDI (South Australian Research Development and Innovation). Dr. Narayan has also attracted scholarships for undergraduate students through the Australian Wool Education Trust (AWET). Funding through various industry partners including Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), etc. Currently, Dr Narayan leads two international collaborated projects with European Institutions (Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain) and Animals Asia (Vietnam).

• Environmental Sector - Dr. Narayan has delivered public seminars at leading National Koala Rescue and Rehabilitation Clinics including Port Stephens Koalas, Friends of the Koala Ballina, and Port Macquarie Koala Hospital. Dr. Narayan has an active network with the Adelaide Koala and Wildlife Hospital. Current international networks with wildlife conservation and rehabilitation groups including Animals Asia, Australian Koala Foundation, Wildlife Institute of India, and International Funds for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

• Zoo Programs: Dr. Narayan is a current individual member of the Zoos and Aquarium Association (ZAA) - Animal Welfare accreditation body for captive zoo facilities in Australasia. Through this role, Dr. Narayan has provided research opportunities for numerous WSU project students and led consultancies to improve the husbandry and breeding program of captive Zoo animals (e.g. Australian marsupials, Big Cats, and Saltwater crocodiles).

• Science Education in Developing Pacific Island Countries: Dr. Narayan actively networks with Pacific Island Countries especially through membership on the Pacific Invasives Partnership Initiative (PIP). Dr. Narayan has actively shared research through seminars in all major Universities in the Fiji Islands (the University of the South Pacific and Fiji National University).

• Media Engagement: Dr. Narayan has actively participated in media interviews such as BBC Wildlife Magazine based on "Happiness in Wildlife", The Conversation, and B-Lab Coats. Dr. Narayan has also spoken to ABC Rural interviews on the topics of Animal Welfare of Livestock and Australian Mammals and particularly his research on Heat Stress Management in Sheep and Koala appeared on Australian Academy of Science extension videos and also in numerous local and international newspapers.

Edward is available to supervise Honours, Masters, MPhil and PhD research projects.

We have developed non-invasive reproductive and stress hormone monitoring tools for threatened wildlife, including amphibians, small mammals and large mammal species from Australia, Fiji and India. 

Using innovative physiological tools, I have evaluated the sub-lethal impacts of pervasive environmental factors (e.g. extreme thermal environments, infectious disease Chytridiomycosis and invasive species) on free-living wildlife as well as evaluated stress in captive breeding programs and managed semi-free ranging populations. 

Together with my HDR scholars we are leading new research in areas of animal stress physiology as exampled below.