ôòóù Annual Research Report SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared by the School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia. Photo credits listed as ‘SBS’ throughout this report refer to the UWA School of Biological Sciences. All other images are credited to the University of Western Australia, unless otherwise stated. For more information contact: Head of School School of Biological Sciences University of Western Australia M092, Perth WA 6009 Australia Telephone +61 8 6488 2237 [email protected] The recommended reference for this publication is: School of Biological Sciences, 2017, Annual Research Report 2017, University of Western Australia DISCLAIMER: The UWA School of Biological Sciences (SBS) has made every attempt to ensure the accuracy of the information provided in this report. SBS does not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this document. 36. Post graduate completions TABLE OF CONTENTS 37. Honours and masters students 38. Undergraduate teaching 39. Publications 49. Invited & contributed presentations 01 Introduction 50. Editorial boards 1. Head of School message 51. Internal collaborations 2. About our school 53. External collaborations 3. Performance in 2017 58. National and international visitors 4. Research themes 58. Funding success 5. Biology without borders 60. Prizes and awards 02 Computational Biology 04 Evolutionary Biology 7. Academic Staff 63. Center for Evolutionary Biology 8. Computational biology research groups 63. Research highlights 8. Research highlights 64. Academic staff 9. Post graduate research students 65. Professional research staff 10. New post graduate enrollments 65. Adjunct and honorary staff 10. Post graduate completions 66. Post graduate research students 10. undergraduate teaching 67. New post graduate enrollments 11. Publications - Research papers 67. Post graduate completions 13. Book chapters 67. Undergraduate teaching 13 Invited and contributed presentations 68. Honours and masters completions 13. Editorial boards 69. Publications - Research papers 14. External collaborations 72. Books 15. Internal collaborations 72. Reports 15. National & international visitors 72. Invited and contributed presentations 15. Funding success 75. Editorial boards 75. External collaborations 78. Internal collaborations 03 Ecology & Conservation 78. National and international visitors 17. Ecological research 78. Funding success 17. Research themes in ecology 18. Research themes in conservation 0ð Neuroscience 18. 2017 research highlights 19. Academic Staff - Ecosystem ecology 81. Neuroscience overview 19. Behavioural ecology 81. 2017 research highlights 20. Marine ecology 82. Academic staff - neuroecology 21. Population ecology 82. Professional research staff - neuroecology 22. Evolutionary ecology 83. Academic staff - Experimental & 23. Community ecology regenerative neuroscience (ERN) 24. Global change ecology 83. Professional research staff - ERN 24. Marine conservation 84. Adjunct & Honorary staff 25. Ecosystem restoration & intervention 84. Post graduate students 26. Conservation genetics 85. New post graduate enrolments 27. Professional research staff 86. Post graduate completions 28. Adjunct & honorary staff 86. Undergraduate teaching 31. Post graduate research students 87. Publications - research papers TABLE OF CONTENTS 89. Invited and contributed presentations 91. Editorial boards 92. External collaborations 93. Internal collaborations 95. Some key global research collaborations 96. National and international visitors 96. Funding success 97. Awards and recognition 0ñ Science Communication 99. Science communication overview 99. 2017 research highlights 100. Academic staff 100. Honours and Maters students 100. Undergraduate teaching 101. Publications 2017 Post Graduate Retreat, Rottnest HEAD OF SCHOOL MESSAGE The new School of Biological Sciences (SBS) was research staff as well as a substantial number of adjunct formed at the end of 2016 after a University-wide re- staff who are engaged in the Schools’ teaching, research structure that saw the merger of the previous Schools and community engagement. Much of our core business is of Animal Biology and Plant Biology. This 2017 Annual strongly supported by our excellent and highly productive Research Report provides a summary of the School's partnerships with a wide range of industry and key research directions, progress and activities during governmental organisations. its first year of operation. The School’s vision is Biology without Borders, and our mission is to Collaboration and collegiality are central to the School’s investigate the Earth’s species and natural approach. The School hosted 23 visiting researchers in environments to ensure sustainable futures. 2017 to share knowledge and expertise. We have 457 collaborations with academics in universities and research This collection of 2017 discipline reports and industry organisations across the globe. Through these demonstrates how our researchers are tackling international collaborations, our School’s strengths in challenging questions about our living planet. We are fundamental and applied biology are being harnessed to passionate about plants and animals and study how address pressing issues of international concern. they live, work, reproduce, sense the world around them and communicate, survive in threatened Our scientific research is coupled to a clear commitment to environments, as well as provide clues to advance training and knowledge exchange and our staff are medical science and treatment. We study plants and regularly engaged with the media. Excellence in science animals in managed and natural environments also requires outstanding infrastructure. The School including below and on the ground, in the air and in houses some excellent core facilities and we continue to marine and fresh waters. We also study ways in work with the University to expand our facilities and build which to best communicate our science to the public capacity. We also seek ways to use our existing facilities and external stakeholders. We place great emphasis to develop novel methodologies to answer fundamental on both field and laboratory-based studies. research questions. The School places great value on its outstanding Please enjoy discovering more about the School of cohort of research and teaching academic staff who Biological Sciences and our research as you read this are highly committed to using cutting-edge science to report. deliver high quality research, innovative research-led Professor Sarah Dunlop teaching and far-reaching community engagement. Our mission is supported to an exceptionally high level Head: UWA School of Biological Sciences by teams of professional staff. The School’s research expertise is diverse, spanning five major disciplines: computational biology, evolutionary biology, conservation & ecology, neuroscience and science communication. Our academics comprise teaching and research staff, externally-funded Professor Sarah Dunlop Head of School 1 ABOUT OUR SCHOOL The School of Biological Sciences (SBS) is a large, research intensive school within the Faculty of Science at the University of Western Australia. The School is the product of the amalgamation of the School of Animal Biology and the School of Plant Biology in January 2017. We have a total of 96 substantive staff positions (74 academic staff and 22 professional staff). Of the academic staff 33 are involved in teaching and research and 41 are research only staff. Of the professional staff, there are 11 professional research staff and 11 service delivery staff members (4 technical and 6 academic service staff). The School generated research income of approximately $5,174,000 (of a total income of $20,032,105) in 2017 and had a HDR load of 109 PhD enrollments. The school is housed in four main locations on the Crawley campus; the Zoology Building, the Botany and Biology Buildings, the Agriculture North building and the Curnow Building (Neuroscience). We also have staff located at CSIRO in Floreat, science communication staff at Myer Street and the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre on Parkway. 2 PERFORMANCE IN ôòóù Working with others in 201 OUR COLLABORATIVE ACADEMIC PROJECTS 457 182 AU & WORLDWIDE EXTERNAL COLLABORATIONS INTERNAL COLLABORATIONS People we've trained in our school this year MASTERS PhD's VISITING COMPLETED COMPLETED RESEARCHERS 23 27 23 Total Value of grants income awarded in 201 $20,032,105 $5,173,702 3 RESEARCH THEMES Computational Biology Our research group addresses fundamental and applied questions in biology using methods and tools from mathematics, statistics and computer science. Our research develops and applies data-analytical and theoretical methods, mathematical modeling and computational simulation techniques to the study of biological, ecological and behavioral systems. Ecology & Conservation We research how animals and plants interact with other species and with their physical environment. This fundamental ecological understanding is required to conserve endangered species and protect their habitats with effective, evidence -based methods. Our research takes us to habitats from suburban backyards to deserts, and the depths of the ocean. Evolutionary Biology Our research explores evolutionary responses to selection at the phenotypic and genomic level, with the broad aim of discovering how organisms adapt to their changing environment. The