Global Change Ecology
The Global Change Ecology group forms the Climate and Ecology program within the Environment Institute. The mission of Climate and Ecology (previously The Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability or RIsCCS) is to undertake multidisciplinary research to mitigate carbon emissions and develop adaptive strategies to respond to the anticipated impacts of climate change.
There are a range of opportunities available for Ph.D., Masters and Honours students for specific on-going research projects with existing funding. General inquiries for projects on topics of a student's own choosing, on research problems in climate change impacts on biodiversity, paleoecology, extinction modelling and energy generation systems (nuclear and renewable policy and modelling) are also welcome.
For information about current research activities please view the Climate and Ecology website.
Key Research Staff and Students
| Corey Bradshaw
Professor of Ecological Modelling at the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Research and Development Institute. His research interests include extinction dynamics, invasive species biology, computer modelling and climate change. He was awarded the 2010 Scopus Young Researcher Award, the 2009 HG Andrewartha Medal and the 2008 Young Tall Poppy Science Award (ConservationBytes.com) | | Barry Brook
Foundation Sir Hubert Wilkins Chair of Climate Change at the University of Adelaide. He has received many awards (e.g. Australian Academy of Science Fenner Medal) for his research addressing climate change, computational and statistical modelling, sustainable energy and the synergies between human impacts on Earth systems (BraveNewClimate.com) |
 | Phill Cassey
Assoc. Prof of Invasion Biogeography in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences. He was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship in 2009. Research interests include invasive species biology, avian reproduction and eco-physiology, ecological statistics and population extinction | 
|
| Lee Heard
Identifying species and regions of South Australia threatened by forecasted climate and land-use change; and providing an understanding of SA Department for Environment and Heritage's biological and spatial data | | Camille Mellin
Spatially explicit, statistical predictive modelling of biodiversity patterns on Australian coral reefs from physical habitat characteristics |
| Salvador Herrando-Pérez
Patterns of density feedback across taxa (life history, demographic rates, stochastic factors) | | Thomas Prowse
Reconstructing prehistoric population dynamics to investigate human and climatic effects on Quaternary fauna including macropods, the thylacine and the devil |
|
Francis Clark
Statistical expertise (i.e. vagabond research fellow at large) | | Ana Sequeira
Behavioural ecology of filter-feeding sharks: spatio-temporal population distribution / movement patterns / foraging behaviour of whale and basking sharks |
| Steve Delean
Models for density feedbacks in animal population dynamics, and teaching “Research Methods in Environmental Biology” | | Michael Stead
How the differing ecological traits of eucalypt species might influence their individual responses to climate change |
| Damien Fordham
Delivering tools to improve forecasts of species range dynamics under global change | | Guangfang Su
Climate change impacts on ecosystem stability and GCM downscaling. |
| Nerissa Haby
Enhancing models of current and future small mammal distributions using ecologically relevant information reflecting resource use and population demographics | | Michael Watts
Developing and validating improved software tools for ecological modelling |
| Bert Harris
Interactive effects of climate change and habitat loss on distribution and demography of Southeast Asian and Australian birds | | Dandong Zheng
Risks, impacts and responses of sea-level extremes in Port Adelaide, an investigation into human-environment interaction |
