Lecturer in Ancient DNA, University of Otago
I have an undergraduate degree and Master of Science from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, and a PhD from the University of Adelaide (Australia). I worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Australia (University of Adelaide) and New Zealand (University of Waikato and University of Otago) before taking up a permanent position as a Lecturer in Ancient DNA in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago in 2017. My research focuses on reconstructing past ecosystems and testing for the impact of climate change and humans on these ecosystems. I use ancient DNA, palaeontology and archaeology to address research questions.
Ancient DNA from an extinct native duck reveals how far birds flew to make New Zealand home
May 20, 2024 08:59 am UTC| Science Nature
Ask a bird lover if they have heard of the extinct giant moa or its ancient predator, Haasts eagle, and the answer will likely be yes. The same cant be said of New Zealands extinct, but equally unique, mergansers a group...
Dec 05, 2023 05:36 am UTC| Nature
Takahē are a striking bird and a national treasure in Aotearoa New Zealand. But the history and origin story of this flightless swamp hen have become a point of scientific debate. Our latest research uncovered the...
The true origins of the world's smallest and weirdest whale
Jul 11, 2023 06:43 am UTC| Nature
The pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata, is the weirdest whale youve probably never heard of. It is the smallest of the living baleen whales and restricted to the Southern Hemisphere. Its tank-like skeleton is...
Taxonomy, the science of naming things, is under threat
Nov 14, 2018 11:52 am UTC| Science
Museums are cathedrals of science, but they are under threat worldwide as part of a malaise of undervaluing museum collections and the field of taxonomy, the science of naming biodiversity. The Museum of New Zealand Te...
Tiny laboratories that fit in your hand can rapidly identify pathogens using electricity