Researcher biography
Xu is a PhD student researching the movement of Australian shorebirds using weather radar, supervised by Professor Richard Fuller and Associate Professor Jason Chapman. Weather radar is a powerful remote-sensing tool for flying birds that has not yet been utilised to its potential in Australia. Xu is working on characterising the spatial-temporal pattern of shorebird migration, complementing manual surveys with radar products and eventually laying the foundation for a standardised radar-based monitoring scheme. Before commencing his PhD, Xu obtained his MSc at the University of Freiburg and the Swiss Ornithological Institute working on insect and bird flight behaviour. In China, his country of origin, he worked for two years in NGOs promoting and conducting citizen science biodiversity surveys.