I completed my BSc in 2002, the highlight being a semester long research project investigating physiology of salt water crocodiles in the Eco-Lab with Professor Craig Franklin. A couple of years later Craig agreed to take me on as an honours student and I got to do some cool work on physiology of amphibians. After publishing my honours work an opportunity came up to work with my honours co-supervisor, Dr Robbie Wilson. I now get to ask cool questions about the evolution of complex traits in lots of different organisms.
Aside from my own research I'm dead keen on volunteering for other peoples' research projects. They get me out of the lab where most of my work is done and it gives me a broader understanding of Australian ecology. My favourite experience would have to be trapping Tasmanian devils on the Freycinet peninsula in Tasmania. I also get to spend a lot of time on Fraser and Stradbroke Islands teaching ecology in undergraduate courses.
I came for the projects and I stay for the people. BIOL has the best mix of administrative, technical and academic staff possible. These super sharp minds with smiling faces makes the daunting PhD process a whole lot less daunting. The vibe is such that I don't feel like 'just a postgrad student'…I'm one of the team! The team has diverse interests and are never too shy or busy to give you their take on your work.
I guess I only wanted to do a PhD after seeing how interesting evolution and ecology are during my honours research. Everyday, my ideas are challenged and I get to challenge other peoples' ideas. The tutoring opportunities in the School are fantastic where I get to spend time in some of the most beautiful places in Australia, and influence the thinking of both local and international students.
Currently I've been working on asking questions about the evolution of inducible defences in mosquito larvae. This system will hopefully enable us to answer questions for which other systems have not been suitable.
Before my PhD, I hadn't been out of Australia/New Zealand. My research has taken me to the USA, the UK and to Europe. I've even visited a research laboratory in the Netherlands where I was able to meet some long lost family that I probably would have never met otherwise. I also regularly attend several national conferences that take me in and around Australia.
After completing my PhD I'm really keen to get back into working on amphibian ecology, trying to get some more solid answers as to why they've been so hard hit by population declines and extinction and how we might go about bringing them back. If I can incorporate my new found affection for evolutionary ecology into the mix, that would be fantastic. I really like when you see students get a deeper understanding of concepts so hopefully teaching is involved somewhere too.
International Journal
van Uitregt VO, Wilson RS and Franklin CE. 2007. Cooler temperatures increase sensitivity to UVb in embryos and tadpoles of the frog Limnodynastes peronii. Global Change Biology
13: 1114-1121.
Conference Presentations
Cooler temperatures increase sensitivity to UVb in embryos and larvae of the frog Limnodynastes peronii. Australian and New Zealand society for comparative physiology and biochemistry 2006, Brisbane, Australia
Costs and benefits of predator induced behaviour in mosquito larvae. Australian & New Zealand Society for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry 2008, Sydney, Australia
Costs and benefits of predator induced behaviour in mosquito larvae. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology 2009, Boston, USA.
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