Alana O'Dwyer

Growing up hiking, climbing and skiing in the Victorian Alpine region gave me an appreciation for nature and a love for Australian wildlife. I pursued this passion through a BSc majoring in Zoology at The University of Melbourne, gaining research experience in the areas of marine biology, examining predator responses in soldier crabs; and animal behaviour, investigating cognitive behaviour and learning in European honeybees. To gain further hands-on experience I undertook multiple volunteering positions, trapping Mitchell’s hopping mice in Big Desert in Western Victoria, undertaking revegetation activities and native nursery work with Phillip Island Nature Parks and trapping Tasmanian devils and quolls in a forestry plantation in central Tasmania. 

My passion for conservation and biodiversity protection in the Australian landscape led to a move to Brisbane to complete a Master in Conservation Science with The University of Queensland. A strong interest in threatened species, invasive species impact, disturbance, fragmentation and island dynamics led me to my final six-month research project with Salit Kark. This project will look at relationships between threatened species and fire, across all Australian islands and shed a light on some of Australia’s most diverse and threatened ecosystems.