Professor Shelley Burgin

• Biography
• Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise
• Grants / Current Projects
• Awards and Recognition
• Selected Publications
• Optional
• Contact Details

Biography

Professor Shelley Burgin is the Provost of the UWS Hawkesbury campus. Appointed as as lecturer at the inception of UWS she laid the framework and supported the development of studies in biology, environmental science and molecular biology on the Hawkesbury campus, together with the introduction of Honours and graduate programs. Professor Burgin also has extensive experience in teaching in developing countries including at the University of Papua New Guinea, and she played a key role in the biology program of an AusAID project aimed at upgrading the eastern universities of Indonesia.

In 2001, Professor Burgin became a Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society for her ‘contribution to the advance of the science of zoology’. The multidisciplinary breadth of Professor Burgin’s research is reflected in over 100 publications in landscape management, with a particular emphasis on herpetology and aquatic research. She is currently a researcher within the CRC for Irrigation Futures and is increasingly focused on environmental management in peri-urban Western Sydney.

Professor Burgin has supervised over 100 graduate research projects in the last 20 years spanning honours, masters and PhDs. Excellence in this area was recognised in 2002 with the award of the inaugural Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Award for Postgraduate Research Training and Supervision, and since that time she has continued to be among the ‘Top 20’ researchers for graduate student completions.

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Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise

Landscape Management, Environmental Management, Aquatic ecology, Herpetology

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Grants / Current Projects

2008 IRIS Grant $15,000
2008 Environmental Research Trust (Proof of concept)$20,000
2008 UWS/National Parks and Wildlife Partnership Grant $24,000
2007 Hawkesbury Foundation/College/School funds partnership $27,500
2007 UWS Seed Grant (with Ian Wright) $7,500
2007 UWS Seed Grant (with Tony Webb)$7,500
2006 UWS Eminent Researcher (Maheshwari and Simmons)$60,000
2006 Swain Award (with Michelle Ryan)$15,000
2006 Penrith City Council $17,500
2005 Penrith City Council $17,500
2005 Penrith Lakes Corporation/Department of Primary Industries $10,000

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Awards and Recognition

2002 - Vice Chancellor's Award of Excellence, Research Training and Supervision
2001 - Fellow, Royal Zoological Society of NSW
1994 - Engineer's Excellence Award (Environment)

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Selected Publications

Books (2005 – 2009)

Dickman, C., Lunney, D. and Burgin, S. 2007. Animals of Arid Australia: out on their own? Royal Zoological Society of NSW, Mosman.

Lunney, D., Hutchings, P., Eby, P. and Burgin, S. 2007. Pest or Guest: the Zoology of Overabundance. Royal Zoological Society of NSW, Mosman.

Book chapters (2005 – 2009)

Burgin, S. and Brainwood, M. 2008. Comparison of road kills in peri-urban and regional areas of New South Wales (Australia) and factors influencing deaths. Too close for comfort. Lunney, D., Munn, A. and Meikle, W. (eds) Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, Mosman, pp. 137-144.

Burgin, S. 2007. Status report on Trachemys scripta elegans: Pet terrapin or Australia’s pest turtles? Pp. 1 – 7, In: Pest or Guest: the Zoology of Overabundance. (eds) Lunney, D., P. Hutchings and S. Burgin. Royal Zoological Society of NSW, Mosman.

Burgin, S. and Saunders, A. 2007. Parrots of the Sydney region: population changes over 100 years. Pp.185 – 194, In: Pest or Guest: the Zoology of Overabundance. (eds) Lunney, D., P. Hutchings and S. Burgin. Royal Zoological Society of NSW, Mosman.

Dickman, C., Lunney, D. and Burgin, S. 2007. Animals of arid Australia: out on their own or hung out to dry? Pp. 224 – 239, In: Animals of Arid Australia: out on their own? Royal Zoological Society of NSW, Mosman.

Lunney, D., Hutchings, P., Eby, P. and Burgin, S. 2007. Pest of guest: the cultural context of the zoology of overabundance. Pp. 258 – 269, In: Pest of Guest: the Zoology of Overabundance. (eds) Lunney, D., P. Hutchings and S. Burgin. Royal Zoological Society of NSW, Mosman.

Journal articles (2005 – 2009)

Brainwood, M. and Burgin, S. 2009. Hotspots of biodiversity or homogeneous landscapes? Farm dams as biodiversity reserves in Australia. Biodiversity and Conservation. 18(11): 3043–3052. DOI 10.1007/s10531-009-9623-5 [IF 1.473].

Burgin, S. and Wotherspoon., D. 2009. The potential of golf courses for one type of BioBanking offset: a case study in biodiversity restoration. Urban Wetlands 12: 145-155. DOI 10.1007/S11252-008.0076-5 [IF 1.117]

Webb, T., Burgin, S. and Maheshwari, B. 2009. Action research for sustainable water futures in Western Sydney – reaching beyond traditional stakeholder engagement to understand community stakeholder language and its implications for action. Systemic Practice and Action Research. 22(1): 1-14. DOI – 10.1007/s 11231-008-9102-z [IF 0.288]

Webb, T. and Burgin, S. 2009. Engaged service learning – implications for higher education Journal of Learning Design 3(1): 41-56. http://www.jld.qut.edu.au

Wotherspoon, D. and Burgin, S. 2009. The consultant ecologist’s role in the New South Wales (Australia) approach to biodiversity offsets – ‘BioBanking’. Journal of Justice and Sustainability. 14(2): 61-72. DOI: 10.1080/13549830802522533

Anderson, L. and Burgin, S. 2008. Patterns of bird predation on reptiles in small woodland remnant edges in peri-urban north-western Sydney, Australia. Landscape Ecology 23(9): 1039-1047. DOI 10.1007/s10980-008-9252-5 [IF 2.453]

Brainwood, M., Burgin, S. and Byrne, M. 2008. The impact of small and large impoundments on freshwater mussel distribution in the Hawkesbury – Nepean River, Southeastern Australia. River Research and Applications 24(10): 1325-1342. DOI 10.1002/rra.1087DOI 10.1002/rra.1087 [IF 1.959]

Brainwood, M. and Burgin, S. 2008. The role of geomorphology in substratum patch selection by freshwater mussels in the Hawkesbury – Nepean River (NSW) Australia. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems DOI 10.1002/aqc.949 [IF 1.619]

Burgin, S. 2008. An environmental scientist’s view of the role of biodiversity banking offsets in conservation. Biodiversity and Conservation 17: 807-816 DOI 10.1007/s10531-008-9319-2 [IF 1.473]

Burgin, S. and Norris, A. 2008. Alligator Weed (Alternantheras philoxeroides [Martius] Grisebach) in New South Wales: a status report. Weed Biology and Management. 2008, 8: 284-290. DOI: 10.1111/j.1445-6664.2008.00306.x [IF 0.69]

Burgin, S. and Renshaw, A. 2008. Epizoochory, algae and the Australian eastern long necked turtle, Chelodina longicollis American Midland Naturalist 160(1): 61-68 [IF 0.755]

Burgin, S. and Ryan, M. 2008. Comparison of the sympatric freshwater turtles Chelodina longicollis and Emydura macquarii dharuk in urban western Sydney. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18(7): 1277-1284. DOI 10.1002/aqc.945 [IF 1.619]

Lane, A. and Burgin, S. 2008. Comparison of frog assemblage structure between urban and non-urban habitats in the upper Blue Mountains (Australia). Freshwater Biology. 53: 2484-2493 DOI 1365-2427.2008.02068x [IR 2.704]

Renshaw, A. and Burgin, S. 2008. Enantiomorphy in Banksia (Proteaceae): flowers and fruits. Australian Journal of Botany 17: 807-816. [IF 1.459]

Ryan, M. and Burgin, S. 2007. Gone walkabout? Movement of Chelodina longicollis from farm dams in northwest peri-urban Sydney. Journal of Biological Research 8: 119-127 [IF 1.140].

Wotherspoon, D. and Burgin, S. 2007. Lizard testes volume measurements: are they always underpinned by the correct assumptions? European Journal of Anatomy. 11(3): 163-167 [IF 0.035].

Wright, I. and Burgin, S. 2007. Species richness and distribution of Eastern Australian lake chironomids and chaoborids. Freshwater Biology 52: 2354-2368 [IF 2.704]

Brainwood, M. and Burgin, S. 2006. An exploration of the relationships between macroinvertebrate community composition and physical and chemical habitat characterisitcs in farm dams. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 119: 459-480 [IF 1.035].

Brainwood, M., Burgin, S. and Byrne, M. 2006. Is the decline of freshwater mussel populations in a regulated coastal river in south-eastern Australia linked with human modification of habitat? Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16: 501-516 [One of the 10 most downloaded papers for the journal in 2006; IF 1.619].

Burgin, S. 2006. Confirmation of an established population of exotic turtles in urban Sydney. Australian Zoologist 33: 379-384.

Burgin, S., Carson, J. and B. Maheshwari. 2005. Local provenance in rehabilitation of degraded landscapes: a case study from the Hawkesbury – Nepean catchment, Australia. Area 37(3):324-331 [2008 IF 1.78].

Burgin, S. and C.B. Schell, 2005. Frog eggs: unique food source for leech Bassianobdella fusca. Acta Zoologica Sincia. 5(2): 349-353.

Burgin, S., Schell, C.B. and Brigg, C. 2005. Is Batrachochytrium dendrobaidiss really the proximate cause of frog decline? Acta Zoologica Sincia. 5(2): 344-348.

Burgin, S., F. Tayebjee and G. Hunter 2005. Policies may be made in heaven but sustainable relationships are borne, nurtured and maintained through good relationships between the partners. Australasian Journal of University Community Engagement 1:1-7.

Cornish, P. and Burgin, S. 2005. Residual effects of glyphosate herbicide in ecological restoration. Restoration Ecology 13(4): 695-702 [2008 IF 1.829].

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Optional

Professional engagement activities

Among her many professional engagement activities Professor Burgin has been appointed to a wide range of statutory and advisory bodies associated with natural resource management across the New South Wales (NSW) ‘green’ government departments, and to a lesser extent she has represented NSW at the Federal level. As part of this engagement activity she played a major role in the implementation and development of catchment management in NSW at all levels in the hierarchy of catchment management. These activities included serving for approximately 15 years on the State Catchment Management Coordinating Committee (for a substantial time as Deputy Chair), the Hawkesbury – Nepean Catchment Management Trust, and on numerous associated committees. She also played a substantial advisory role to National Parks, particularly associated with the Lane Cove State Recreation Area (now National Park) and their north-east Sydney Metropolitan Region. Most recently Professor Burgin was invited to provide expert advise on the potential impacts of climate change on biodiversity.

Since 1989 Professor Burgin has served continuously on the Council, including terms as past president and deputy president, of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales.

Internationally Professor Burgin has previously been a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Crocodile Specialist Group, and she is currently an Assembly Member, IUCN Commission on Education and Communication, World Coordinator, Gender and Community Engagement, UNESCO Ecohydrology Programme.

Community engagement activities

As the Provost of the Hawkesbury Campus of the University of Western Sydney Professor Burgin is responsible for ‘campus life’, community relations (e.g., host of Erik Housoul Sarcoma Foundation’s High School Band Competition, Yarramundi Series of seminars) and specific issues relating to the Hawkesbury campus. This involves supporting and hosting on campus functions for staff/students (e.g., welcome day, international food day, campus Christmas Party), host VIP visitors (e.g., international visitors, politicians, local government) and foster external engagement with government authorities, local businesses, and the media and the campus (e.g., invited speaker at Citizenship ceremonies, ANZAC Day ceremonies, and various clubs and societies).

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