President – Dr Karen Rowe – Museums Victoria
Dr. Karen Rowe is the Curator of Birds at the Museums Victoria Research Institute. She is a museum-based research ecologist specialising in using acoustic methods to document the diversity and distribution of animals, particularly birds, across landscapes. This work has included long-term monitoring of endangered species and addressing the impact of bushfires on bird communities. Her work actively focuses on using acoustic technologies to bring together land managers, Landcare groups and community participants towards improved management and conservation outcomes for wildlife.
Vice President – Prof. Paul Roe – Queensland University of Technology
Professor Paul Roe received his MEng from the University of York in 1987 and his PhD from the University of Glasgow in 1991. He is currently a full professor in the Science and Engineering Faculty at QUT, in Brisbane Australia. At QUT, he founded and led the Microsoft-QUT eResearch Centre, a collaboration between the Queensland State Government, Microsoft Research and QUT which investigated smart tools for eResearch. Professor Roe has published over 100 papers, received over $7M in competitive research funding (50% in category one research) and graduated more than 21 research students. He has organised numerous conferences and is an editor for Future Generation Computer Systems. He undertakes novel interdisciplinary research, including ecological acoustic monitoring systems which enable new scales of environmental monitoring through big data collection and analysis, and novel computer systems supporting communication and collaboration in remote Aboriginal communities.
Communications and marketing – Jo Geddes – Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority
Jo is a Wetland and Environmental Water Project Officer with the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority in Shepparton, Victoria. Jo has conducted ecoacoustic monitoring since 2008 within wetlands in the Goulburn Broken Catchment. Jo began acoustic monitoring after attending a seminar that Prof. Stuart Gage gave at the Department of Primary Industries. She monitors the response of wetlands to environmental watering, after fire and flood and is now delving into the world of freshwater acoustics.
Councillor – Prof Susan Fuller – Queensland University of Technology
Dr Susan Fuller is passionate environmental scientist and her aspiration as an academic is to transfer this passion for applied ecosystems science to students. Susan’s aim is to be a world leader in the research field of environmental monitoring and restoration and to play an integral role in managing Australia’s sustainable resource use. Susan undertakes high impact, interdisciplinary research involving elements of biodiversity monitoring and ecosystem restoration and wildlife management (conservation biology and biosecurity), which fits squarely within the ‘Healthy Ecosystems & Environmental Monitoring’ theme of the Institute for Future Environments at QUT. These research areas also relate directly to two of Australia’s National Research Priorities; An Environmentally Sustainable Australia (sustainable use of Australia’s biodiversity) and Safeguarding Australia (Protecting Australia from invasive diseases and pests).
Councillor – Dr Simon Linke – CSIRO
Dr Simon Linke is a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO, QLD. Simons research expertise includes systematic conservation planning in riverine landscapes, spatial prioritisation of resource allocations, predictive models in ecology, multivariate statistics and freshwater bioassessment.
Councillor – Michael Maggs – Frontier Labs
Michael Maggs is the Director and Principal Engineer at Frontier Labs, an Australian based electronics engineering company that designs scientific field equipment specialising in low-noise bioacoustic recorders, remote area instrumentation and data acquisition.
Councillor – Dr Elizabeth Znidersic – Charles Sturt University
Dr Elizabeth (Liz) Znidersic is a Research Fellow with the Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University. Her current research interests fall into two principal areas. Firstly, survey methodologies using advanced technology to monitor individual species and ecosystems. And secondly, restoration projects using sound in terrestrial and aquatic systems. Most of her research is applied ecology, improving our understanding of endangered species and the management of natural systems. Her current projects are “Eavesdropping on wetland birds – Optimizing technology for monitoring wetland bird populations across south-eastern Australia” and “Tuning In – Broader AI applications of machine-based tools for environmental restoration and conservation management.
Councillor – Dr Leah Barclay – University of Sunshine Coast
Dr Leah Barclay is a multi-award winning Australian sound artist, composer and researcher working at the intersection of art, science and technology. She specialises in electroacoustic music, acoustic ecology and emerging fields of biology exploring environmental patterns and changes through sound. Her work has been commissioned, performed and exhibited to wide acclaim internationally by organisations including UNESCO, Ear to the Earth, Al Gore’s Climate Reality and the IUCN. Leah composes complex sonic environments, immersive live performances and interactive installations that draw attention to changing climates and fragile ecosystems. She is currently the director of Biosphere Soundscapes (mapping the changing soundscapes of UNESCO biosphere reserves) and a research fellow at University of Sunshine Coast. Barclay is the President of the Australia Forum for Acoustic Ecology and Vice President of the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology.
Councillor – Katie Turlington – Griffith University
Katie Turlington is a PhD Candidate at the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, specialising in freshwater ecology and ecoacoustics. She holds a Master of Environment from Griffith University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. Her master’s research focused on optimising supervised machine learning methods for acoustic frog monitoring in the Murray-Darling Basin, addressing inter- and intra-species call variations and refining the algorithm’s output to enhance accuracy. Currently, her PhD research investigates the relationship between sound and ecological health in freshwater ecosystems, aiming to optimise ecoacoustic data processing methods using clustering techniques. Katie explores how sound can be used to monitor ecosystems and how machine learning can be applied to analyse soundscapes. She is passionate about developing remote, non-invasive ecological monitoring methods and inspiring the next generation of scientists through effective science communication.
The Australasian Chapter Advisory Board – formed June 2016
From left to right: Prof Paul Roe, Dr Susan Fuller, Dr Simon Linke, Jo Geddes, Dr Toby Gifford, Michael Maggs, Dr Michael Towsey, Mark Calder (missing Dr Leah Barclay).
Australasian Chapter of Ecoacoustics 