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Researchers
The Institute's research staff are a group of high achieving academics that are working in disciplines relevant to the Institute’s research agenda. Our philosophy is to maintain a mix of early and mid-career, and experienced researchers that have excellent track records.
Professor Ian Anderson
Professor Ian Anderson is currently the Director of Research at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment. His research interests centre on the molecular ecology of soil microorganisms, particularly soil fungi, including those that form symbiotic mycorrhizal associations with the roots of plants.
Doctor Matthias Boer
Dr Matthias Boer is a Senior Researcher in the Institute. His research interest centres on landscape ecology and management of fire-prone environment and climate change within the Ecosystem Function & Integration research theme.
Professor John Cairney
Professor John Cairney's research interests within the Institute centre on the ecology and physiology of soil fungi, especially those that form mycorrhizal associations in the Soil Biology & Genomics research theme.
Doctor Brendan Choat
Dr Brendan Choat is a Senior Researcher in the Institute. His research interests centre on the hydraulic function of plants and its effect on their growth and survival under drought within the Plants, Animals & Interactions research theme.
Emeritus Professor Jann Conroy
Emeritus Professor Jann Conroy continues to make a valuable contribution to the Institute. Her research has focused on understanding how climate change will influence the trade-off between growth and water use of fast- and slow- growing eucalypts.
Doctor Remko Duursma
Dr Remko Duursma is a Research Lecturer in the Institute. His research interests centre on modeling vegetation function, including photosynthesis, growth, water use and radiation absorption of trees and forests within the Ecosystem Function & Integration research theme.
Professor David Ellsworth
Professor David Ellsworth is lead scientist for the Hawkesbury Forest Experiment, and is senior scientific advisor for the Eucalyptus Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (EucFACE) experiment. His research interests centre on the response of forests to rising CO2 concentrations and climate change within the Ecosystem Function & Integration research theme.
Doctor Oula Ghannoum
Dr Oula Ghannoum is a Senior Researcher in the Institute and deputy theme leader for the Plants, Animals & Interactions research theme. Her research focuses on the biochemical underpinnings of photosynthetic diversity and regulation, especially among C4 grasses, and their implications for plant physiology under a changing environment.
Doctor Scott Johnson
Dr Scott Johnson is a Senior Researcher in the Institute. His research interests centre on insect-plant ecology, especially multi-trophic interactions spanning aboveground-belowground systems within the Soil Biology & Genomics research theme.
Doctor Uffe Nielsen
Dr Uffe Nielsen is a Research Lecturer in the Institute. His research interests centre on the distribution and community composition of soil biota (microbes and soil mites in particular) across various spatial scales in two contrasting habitats within the Soil Biology & Genomics research theme.
Doctor Jeff Powell
Dr Jeff Powell is a Researcher in the Institute. His research interests centre on soil ecology and understanding contributions of microbial biodiversity to ecosystem functioning and stability, particularly in systems experiencing environmental change within the Soil Biology & Genomics research theme.
Professor Peter Reich
Professor Peter Reich is the Foundation Director of the Hawkesbury Insitute for the Environment. He is jointly affiliated with UWS and the University of Minnesota. His current research focuses on the effects of climate change, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide, other air pollutants, land use/management, fire and biotic invasion on health, biodiversity, and sustainability of forest and grassland ecosystems.
Doctor Victor Resco de Dios
Dr Victor Resco de Dios is a Researcher in the Institute. His research interests centre on physiological ecology broadly and understanding plant community dynamics and ecosystem function within the Ecosystem Function & Integration research theme.
Doctor Markus Riegler
Dr Markus Riegler is a Senior Researcher in the Institute. His research interests centre on the biology and diversity of arthropod symbionts, their role in insect adaptations to the environment and their application for the management of pest and vector species within the Plants, Animals and Interactions research theme. Markus is also the Higher Degree Research Student Co-ordinator for the Institute.
Doctor Paul Rymer
Dr Paul Rymer is a Research Lecturer in the Institute. His research interests centre on the ecology and evolution of organisms in natural populations, in particular plant-animal interactions, mating patterns, hybridisation and local adaptation, and how these factors drive and erode species diversity within the Plants, Animals and Interactions research theme.
Associate Professor Brajesh Singh
Associate Professor Brajesh Singh is the deputy theme leader for the Soil Biology & Genomics research theme within the Institute. His research interests centre on functional microbial ecology, climate change and environmental biotechnology with particular focus on the role of microbes in ecosystem function and environmental sustainability.
Professor David Tissue
Professor David Tissue is an international expert on the effects of climate change on ecosystems. His research interests centre on the plant response to changes in global climate; primarily considers the interactive effect of elevated CO2 and associated environmental factors (e.g. temperature, nutrients and water) on leaf level physiology and its implications for plant growth within the Plants, Animals & Interactions research theme.
Professor Mark Tjoelker
Professor Mark Tjoelker is the Theme Leader for the Ecosystem Function & Integration research theme within the Institute. His research interests centre on the impacts of global environmental change on terrestrial ecosystems, particularly the effects on respiration and carbon cycling, climatic adaptation in plant traits, and the biogeography of forest tree species.
