Research associate, 2022-2023
Giovanni is interested in how animals respond to environmental change, to predict species responses to a rapidly changing world. His research focuses on causes and consequences of diversity and plasticity in animal phenotypes—from both ecological and evolutionary perspectives—with a particular interest in behavioural and life-history traits. Gio has now returned to Italy where he has taken up an academic position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Tuscia.
Email: gio.polverino@gmail.com
Web: https://giovannipolverino.wordpress.com
Research associate, 2017-2018
Initially funded by grants from the Academy of Finland and the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Topi's work at Monash has focussed on sexual selection and parental care in fish. Topi is currently continuing his sexual selection research in Finland.
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lehtonentopi/
Email: topi.lehtonen@oulu.fi
Research associate, 2016-2018
Minna’s research in behavioural ecotoxicology explores the impact of anthropogenic contamination on animal mating systems. Minna was employed in the Wong lab under a grant from the Australian Research Council. She is now a senior research scientist with the Victorian Environment Protection Authority.
Research associate, 2007-2009
Andreas collaborated with Bob on an ARC-funded Discovery Project looking at sexual signalling and parental care in the Australian Desert goby. After finishing his position at Monash, Andreas won a prestigious Alfred Deakin Fellowship to work with Prof John Endler at Deakin University. Andreas is now back in Sweden, where he is currently a senior lecturer in evolutionary biology at the Linnean University.
Email: andreas.svensson@lnu.se
Website: https://lnu.se/personal/andreas.svensson/
PhD student, 2020–2024 (co-supervised with Dr Jake Martin and A/Prof Matt Hall)
Gabriela completed her Master of Science (Zoology) in Brazil investigating female sperm storage and male sexual traits in a Neotropical lizard. For her PhD, Gabriela investigated the impacts of pharmaceutical pollutants on reproductive biology in fish. For more information, visit her website.
Email: gabriela.melo@monash.edu
PhD student, 2019–2024 (co-supervised with Prof Anne Peters)
Greg completed his Master of Science at San Jose State University in California investigating the effects of mercury contamination on the incubation behaviour of Forster’s terns. For his PhD, Greg studied male reproductive behaviour and sperm physiology in a woodland songbird, the superb fairy-wren.
PhD student, 2019-2024 (co-supervised with Prof Theresa Jones and Dr Kathryn McNamara, University of Melbourne)
Nik studied the impacts of artificial light at night on the behaviour, physiology and morphology of spiders, as well as traits that allow species to exploit and thrive novel anthropogenic conditions.
Email: nwillmott@student.unimelb.edu.au
PhD student, 2020–2023 (co-supervised with Dr Lesley Alton and Dr Jake Martin)
Hung’s PhD research investigated the impacts of chemical pollution on fish. He is now working as a research scientist at the Victorian Environment Protection Authority.
Email: hung.tan@epa.vic.gov.au
PhD student, 2019-2023 (co-supervised with Dr Lesley Alton and Dr Jake Martin)
Jack’s PhD research investigated how common agricultural endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) affected development, survival, behaviour and physiology of Australian frogs.
PhD student, 2019-2023 (co-supervised with Prof David Chapple)
For his PhD, Jack investigated how environmental factors and sex influence behavioural variation in a range of animal species from insects to reptiles. Jack is now in Europe working as a research associate at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Email: jack.brand@slu.se
PhD student, 2019-2023 (co-supervised with A/Prof Matt Hall)
Lucinda investigated the impacts of pharmaceutical pollutants and other environmental stressors on life history traits using daphnia as a model.
PhD student, 2018-2022 (co-supervised with Prof David Chapple)
Maddy did her honours at Monash studying the behaviour of sun skinks. Maddy's PhD research examined the role of the maternal environment on behaviour and reproductive traits in delicate skinks (Lampropholis delicata).
Email: madeleine.dejong@monash.edu
PhD student, 2017-2021 (co-supervised with Prof Mark Elgar, University of Melbourne)
Chris completed his Master of Science (Zoology) at University of Melbourne investigated the impacts of artificial light at night on body pigmentation, antennal investment and brain melatonin & oxidative stress in insects. For his PhD, Chris investigated how environmental factors drive the evolution of insect sensory systems, how diversity in antennal morphology influences the ability to detect and respond behaviourally to signals, and how this relationship between detection and behaviour is altered in the presence of endocrine disrupting chemicals.
PhD student, 2017-2021 (co-supervised with Prof David Chapple)
Annalise investigated behavioural variation, sociality and antipredator behaviour in native and invasive populations of the delicate skink.
Email: annie.naimo@gmail.com
PhD Student, 2015-2019 (co-supervised with Prof David Chapple)
Anna investigated the role of key threatening processes (habitat clearing and climate change) acting on the macroecology and behaviour of reptiles. Anna is now working as a teaching support staff member at Monash.
Email: anna.senior@monash.edu
PhD student, 2012-2019 (co-supervised with Dr Topi Lehtonen)
Nick’s thesis investigated factors influencing filial cannibalism in fish. He is now working at Monash as a senior tutor.
Email: nicholas.deal@monash.edu
PhD student, 2016-2019 (co-supervised with Dr Minna Saaristo); Research associate, 2019-2022
Jake investigated the impacts of the pharmaceutical pollutant fluoxetine on fish behaviour during his Honours and PhD. He then worked as a research associated studying the effects of the agricultural pollutant trenbolone on the behaviour and physiology of anuran amphibians. Jake is now a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Email: jake.martin@slu.se
PhD student, 2015-2018 (co-supervised with Dr Minna Saaristo); Research associate, 2019
Michael carried out his PhD research investigating the effects of pharmaceuticals on fish behaviour. After several months working as a Research Associate in Bob’s lab following the submission of his thesis, Michael is now a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Email: michael.bertram@slu.se
PhD student, 2013–2018 (co-supervised with Dr Minna Saaristo)
Pat did his honours project in 2012 at Monash investigating the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on mosquitofish. He decided to continue with this line of research in 2013 and completed his PhD looking at the effects of androgenic pollutants on mating behaviour and reproductive morphology in fish.
Email: tomkinspt@gmail.com
PhD student, 2009–2018 (co-supervised with Prof Anne Peters and A/Prof James Bourne, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute)
Nori investigated alloparental behaviour in a cooperatively breeding primate, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), by exploring the potential fitness effects of alloparental infant-carrying and the mechanisms that underpin this behaviour.
Email: noriyoshi_k@hotmail.com
PhD Student, 2013–2017 (co-supervised with Prof David Chapple); Research Associate 2020-2021
Marcus’s PhD investigated how consistent individual differences in behaviour arise and influence a range of ecological contexts, including invasion dynamics, dispersal and urban adaptation. Marcus has since completed a postdoc at UC Davis with Prof Andy Sih and a brief postdoc stint back at Monash, and has recently commenced a postdoc with Prof Tomas Brodin at SLU, Sweden. Marcus’ current research is investigating how and when behavioural responses of individuals to environmental change can lead to broader ecological consequences, and long-term evolutionary shifts, across multiple levels of biology, from individual to communities, and species, from prey to predators.
Email: marcus.michelangeli@slu.se
PhD student, 2012–2015 (co-supervised with Prof David Chapple and Dr Topi Lehtonen)
Will completed his PhD investigating resource trait use, polymorphism, and parental care, in neotropical cichlid fishes. He went on to do a postdoc at Stockholm University and was recently a JSPS postdoctoral fellow at Osaka City University. He is now back in Australia working in local government.
Email: will.sowersby@zoologi.su.se
PhD student, 2011-2015 (co-supervised with Prof Jenny David and Prof Ross Thompson, University of Canberra)
Mel completed her PhD investigating the ecological role of the platypus in running waters with a focus on their food webs and substrate interactions.
PhD student, 2010–2015 (co-supervised with Prof David Chapple and Prof Devi Stuart-fox, University of Melbourne)
In her PhD research, Krys explored the implications of a changing environment and mechanisms of persistence in the desert goby, an arid-adapted fish found in Central Australia. Krys is now working as a grant writing consultant for Mind Your Way.
Email: krys.mossop@gmail.com
PhD student, 2012–2016 (co-supervised with Prof Ross Thompson, University of Canberra)
Nick completed his PhD working with desert gobies and their aquatic communities in the Lake Eyre Basin in arid Central Australia. Nick’s research integrated behavioural ecology into community ecology by looking at how simple behavioural traits in gobies can have broad ecological effects on their communities. Nick is currently working on a MSCA Fellowship project at the Centre for Ocean Life - DTU Aqua, at the Technical University of Denmark.
PhD student, 2009-2013 (co-supervised with Prof Devi Stuart-Fox, University of Melbourne, and Dr Mark Norman, Museum Victoria)
Ben completed his PhD investigating sexual conflict and male reproductive strategies of the Southern bottletail squid. After transitioning into industry, Ben is now leading the advanced analytics division of Newgate Australia
PhD student, 2009-2013 (co-supervised with Prof Devi Stuart-Fox, University of Melbourne, and Dr Mark Norman, Museum Victoria)
Zoe completed her PhD looking at the benefits of polyandry in the dumpling squid. Zoe is now working as a policy officer at Victoria's Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
Email: zoe.squires@delwp.vic.gov.au
PhD student, 2007-2009 (co-supervised with Assoc Prof Alan Lill)
Helene completed her PhD on the behavior of a successful urban adapter, the noisy miner. She is now a full-time mum and a part-time demonstrator at Monash.
Email: helene.lowry@monash.edu
PhD student, 2007-2009 (co-supervised with Dr Nick Bond & Dr Dave Crook, Arthur Rylah Institute)
John completed a PhD project examining reproduction and life-history strategies in the pygmy perch. He is now a lecturer at the University of Melbourne.
Masters student, 2020-2022 (co-supervised with Prof Sigal Balshine, McMaster university)
Jacqueline used the fathead minnow as a model to study the effects of caffeine on learning, decision-making, and physiology in fish.
