student projects

Current Students

Sebastian Hoefer (JCU)

PhD candidate

Seb is a PhD candidate in the Vertebrate Ecology Lab with Lin Schwarzkopf at JCU comparing biodiversity indices from acoustic vs. traditional on-ground survey methodologies.

Rishab Pillai (JCU)

PhD candidate

Rishab investigates the relationship between ecology, form and function in a clade of native Australian geckos. His work examines how animals evolve morphological adaptations to effectively move where they live.

Max Tibby (UNE)

PhD candidate

Max is working in mallee/spinifex country in South Australia to examine the impacts of fire on the thermal landscape for small reptiles and mammals using long-term trapping data, historical burns, and experimental burn sites to identify changes in thermal refugia.

Jacquie Bennet (UNE)

PhD candidate

Jacquie is investigating the impacts of water management on freshwater turtles. She is looking at how cold water pollution, diet, and food availability influence the growth rates of freshwater turtles.

Julie Trezise (UNE)

PhD candidate

Julie is based on Christmas Island and is working on a NESP funded project to identify why Christmas Island Giant Geckos have not declined on Christmas Island, unlike the other reptiles. She will identify occupancy, habitat use, competition, and predation.

Elly Gooch (UNE)

PhD candidate

Elly is looking into the efficacy of manufactured baits for the control of wild dogs and their impacts. Her work will also focus on the non-target impacts and degradation of these baits.

Remo Boscarino-Gaetano (UNE)

MSc candidate

Remo is exploring the land-sharing potential between solar farms and agricultural landscapes. He aims to find ways to increase habitat suitability and increase biodiversity on solar farms.

Sully Sullivan (UNE)

MSc candidate

Sully is investigating water quality parameters that affect freshwater turtle occupancy and the potential health impacts of harmful algal blooms on freshwater turtles.

Brad Traynor (UNE)

MSc candidate

Brad started his MSc at UNE in the REED lab where he will examine the thermal ecology of a rainforest endemic lizard (southern angle-headed dragon) and the potential impacts of a warming climate.

Kieran Stephenson-Banks (UNE)

BSc Honours

Kieran is examining the application of automated bird recognition software as a tool for monitoring Noisy Miner populations and dispersal patterns in the NSW Northern Tablelands.

Ruth Alexander (UNE)

BSc Honours

Ruth is investigating the diets of eastern Australian freshwater turtles, focusing on their niche partitioning and resource needs to better understand how we can ensure these animals have adequate food supplies into the future.

PREVIOUS STUDENTS

2025. Remo Boscarino-Gaetano (MSc Research, Co-supervision with Karl Vernes and Lin Schwarzkopf) - "Here Comes the Sun: Can Solar Farms Support Biodiversity by Maintaining Suitable Wildlife Habitat?" PAPER 1 LINK;

2024. Tessa Stewart (BSc Honours, Co-supervision with Deb Bower and Lou Streeting) - "Assessing the Impacts of Inundation on Western Saw-shelled Turtles: Implications of Climate Change for Freshwater Turtle Conservation"

2024. Lauren Crofts (MSc Environmental Science and Management) - "The effects of environmental stressors on embryo survival and morphology"

2024. James Dowling (BSc Honours, Co-supervision with Deb Bower) - "Assessing the influence of barriers on the movement of the Eastern long necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis)" PAPER 1 LINK; PAPER 2 LINK; PAPER 3 LINK

2024. Jessica York (BSc Honours, Co-supervision with Deb Bower and Lou Streeting) - "Basking Platforms and Sonic Deterrent Devices: Testing their Efficacy in Freshwater Turtle Conservation Management"

2023. Rosie Kidman (BSc Honours, Co-supervision with Don McKnight and Lin Schwarzkopf) - "Does thermoregulation explain nocturnal basking activity in a tropical freshwater turtle?" PAPER LINK

2019. Christina Baldwin (Master’s minor project, Co-supervision with Lin Schwarzkopf) – “A sticky situation: adhesive performance and substrate choice in native and invasive house geckos.”

2018. Rheanne Denny (Master’s minor project, Co-supervision with Lin Schwarzkopf) – “The bold and the brave: comparative measures of boldness and activity in native vs. invasive house geckos” PAPER LINK

2018. Elliot Budd (BSc Honours, Co-supervision with Lin Schwarzkopf and Jendrian Ridel) – “Identifying the tail function in knob tail geckos (Nephrurus asper)”

2017. Rishab Pillai (Master’s minor project, Co-supervision with Lin Schwarzkopf, and Jendrian Riedel) – “Investigating the eco-morphology paradigm in velvet geckos (Genus: Oedura)” PAPER 1 LINK; PAPER 2 LINK

2017. Ayano Fushida (Science Research Internship, Co-supervision with Lin Schwarzkopf and Jendrian Riedel) – “Shedding frequency in Hemidactylus frenatus” PAPER LINK

2017. Jari Cornelis (Graduate Certificate of Research Methods, Co-supervision with Lin Schwarzkopf) – “Antipredator behaviour of the Asian house gecko in response to native snakes in the urban and natural environment” PAPER LINK

2016. Jessica Waugh (BSc Honours, Co-supervision with Conrad Hoskin) – “Movement ecology of the introduced Asian House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus on the urban edge”

2016. Marnie Smith-Bessen (Master’s minor project, Co-supervision with Lin Schwarzkopf) – “Do Surface Roughness and Adhesion Influence the Amount of Time Geckos Spend on Substrates”

2016. Kirilly O’Reilly and Roderick Budd (Professional Work Placement) – “Differences in herpetofauna abundance and diversity between urban and bush habitats on the James Cook University campus”

2015. Paul Murray (Graduate Certificate of Research Methods, Co-supervision with Lin Schwarzkopf and Kyall Zenger) – “Comparing microscopic and molecular methods of diet description in native house geckos (Gehyra dubia)” PAPER LINK

2014. Lauren Heilbronn (Graduate Certificate of Research Methods, Co-supervision with Lin Schwarzkopf) – “Effect of cattle grazing on Cryptoblepharus species”

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