Lab Leader

Rob Davis is an Associate Professor at ECU and since his arrival in 2009, he has built a small but thriving lab engaged in wildlife research. Rob has a background in amphibian ecology and undertook his PhD with Prof. Dale Roberts at the University of Western Australia. He always has a special interest in birds and reptiles, however, his ecological interests are broad from many years of operating his own fauna consultancy business, so he is comfortable working on most animals as models for questions of interest.

Rob’s prime research interests are landscape ecology, threatened species recovery, island ecosystems and disturbance ecology including fire and other impacts on fauna and their habitats.

Research Fellow

Dr Mike Craig is a highly experienced researcher with a strong background in ornithology and herpetology. He has over 20 years of post-doctoral research experience and an extensive publication record. His main research areas and interests focus on human impacts on natural ecosystems and management practices for reducing those impacts. Over his career, his research interests have included fragmentation, logging and fire effects on fauna, faunal return to restoration areas, effects of tree decline on fauna, translocation practices and fauna sampling methods. Mike’s research at ECU focusses on assessing the value of revegetation as an offset for Black-Cockatoos in the Perth region.

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Adjuncts

Adjunct Associate Professor Tim Doherty studied his PhD with Rob, graduating in 2015. After a number of postdocs elsewhere, Tim is now based based at DBCA where he is a fire research scientist and collaborates with the lab on fire ecology research.

Adjunct Lecture Dr Mike Lohr studied his PhD with Rob, graduating in 2018. He currently works at Birdlife Australia and continues to collaborate on rodenticide impacts on wildlife.

Adjunct Associate Professor Allan Burbidge is a Principal Research Scientist at DBCA and collaborates with the lab on research and student supervision related to ornithology.

Current Students

PhD

Lisa Sinclair (2025-2028). Lisa is studying the impacts of fire on threatened mammals in SW WA. Advisors: A/Prof. Rob Davis, Dr Tim Doherty, Dr Mike Craig

Rebecca Quah (2022-2025). Bec is looking at the role of diet in translocation success for threatened mammals. Advisors: Dr Anna Hopkins, Dr Rob Davis, Dr Saul Cowan and Dr Harriet Mills.

Kirrily Hastings (2022-2025). Kirrily is examining the conservation ecology of the Hooded Plover in Western Australia. Advisors: Dr Rob Davis, Dr Sora Estrella, Dr Mike Weston (Deakin).

Masters

Liam Berry (2025-2027). Liam is studying how fire impacts hollow log availability in the SW forests. Advisors: A/Prof. Rob Davis, Dr Tim Doherty, Dr Mike Craig

Dan Lupardo (2024-2026). Dan is looking at the landscape genetics of reptiles in urban Perth. Advisors: Dr Sean Buckley. Dr Rob Davis, Dr Brenton von Takach

Megan du Toit (2023-2025). Megan is looking at the ecology and conservation of the Spectacled Hare-Wallaby. Advisors: Dr Rob Davis, Dr Anna Hopkins, Dr Kenny Travouillon.

Postdoc Alumni

Shaun Molloy. Shaun was Rob’s first PhD student and has undertaken several postdoc positions with ECU working on various fauna projects including Western Ground Parrots, Northern Quolls and assessing the efficacy of restoration for biodiversity. Shaun now works for the state wildlife department (DBCA) as a senior ecologist.

Dr Sora Estrella worked on the RioTinto Dampier Salt Shorebird Project with the lab and is currently an ECU South-west Campus Coordinator and lecturer.

PhD Alumni

Shelby Middleton (2022-2025). Shelby is resolving the taxonomy of the Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in Australia. Advisors: Dr Rob Davis, Dr Anna Hopkins, Dr Harriet Mills (Perth Zoo), Dr Kenny Travouillon (WA Museum) and Linette Umbrello (WA Museum).

Paul Radley (2014-2018) Conservation of the endangered Micronesian megapode. Supervisors: Dr Rob Davis, Dr David Blake. Paul now works as a wildlife ecologist in Hawaii.

Mike Lohr (2015-2018) Population demographics and spatial ecology of owls in south-western Australia.  Supervisors: Dr Rob Davis, Dr Allan Burbidge (DPAW). Mike now works for BirdLife Australia.

Floyd Holmes. (2014-2018) The use of animal behaviour as a bio-indicator of restoration quality. Supervisors: Dr Rob Davis, Dr Eddie van Etten. Floyd now works as an environmental consultant.

Tim Doherty (2012-2015) Ecology of feral cats and their prey in relation to shrubland fire regimes. Supervisors: Dr Rob Davis, Dr Eddie van Etten. Tim now works as a research scientist at DBCA and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at ECU.

Dr Shaun Molloy  (2010-2013) Applying the principles of spatial modelling to the management of biodiversity in the fragmented landscapes of south-western Australia. Supervisors: Dr Rob Davis, Prof. Pierre Horwitz, Dr Eddie van Etten.  

Masters Alumni

Rachyl Stover (2020-). Rachyl examined reintroduced mammal populations of Banded Hare-wallaby and Rufous Hare-wallaby on Dirk Hartog Island with a view to understanding their role as ecosystem engineers and dietary adaptations to new habitats. Advisors: Dr Anna Hopkins, Dr Saul Cowen (DBCA), Dr Harriet Mills (Perth Zoo), Dr Rob Davis.

Nathan Yaschenko (2021-2024). Nathan studied the ecology of Masked owls in SW WA and using ecoacoustic approaches. Advisors: Dr Rob Davis, Dr Eddie van Etten, Dr Mike Craig, Dr Boyd Wykes, Dr Mike Lohr.

Patrick Williams. (2020-2022). Patrick studied his masters, looking at the conservation ecology of the vulnerable Western Partridge Pigeon in the Kimberley region of WA. Advisors: Dr Rob Davis and Dr Eddie van Etten.

Ryan Carter (2020-2022). Ryan examined the conservation ecology of the endangered Abrolhos Painted Button-quail for his masters.

Kaarissa Haaring-Harris (2018-2022). Kaarissa examined long-term population trends in urban birds. Advisors: Dr Rob Davis, Dr Tegan Douglas and Dr Geoff Barrett.

Shannon Treloar (2018-2022). Shannon studied her masters on the importance of food resources in translocation success: a case study with two endangered mammals. Advisors: Dr Rob Davis, Dr Cheryl Lohr and Dr Anna Hopkins.

Michael Main (Masters, 2017-2020) Spatial Ecology of urban foxes. Supervisors: Dr David Blake, Dr Rob Davis, Dr Harriet Mills. Michael now works for DBCA in the Pilbara.

Candice Le Roux (Masters, 2014-2016) Nocturnal roost site selection by endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoos in the Perth Region. Supervisors: Prof. Will Stock, Dr Dave Blake, Dr Rob Davis, Dr Geoff Barrett (DPAW).

Teagan Johnston (Masters, 2010-2012) Food resource availability for Carnaby’s cockatoo on the Swan Coastal Plain. Supervisors: Prof. Will Stock, Dr Peter Mawson, Dr Rob Davis.  

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Honours Alumni

Yanlin Li (2021-2022). Honours. Tracking the urban-induced morphological shifts of three scincid lizards in Perth, Western Australia using museum specimen deposited in the 1990’s. Advisors: Dr Robert Davis and Dr Anna Hopkins.

Sarah Anderson (2017) Chytrid fungus ecology in the Motorbike Frog Litoria moorei.

Melinda Henderson (2015) Spatial ecology of northern quolls in the Pilbara region.

Christian Polson-Brown (2012) Use of revegetation on Rottnest Island by Red-capped Robins and Golden Whistlers.

Laura Harris (2012) The relationship between plant secondary metabolites and the habitat parameters of the endangered Western Ringtail Possum in south-west WA. 

Nicole Grubb (2011) Territory size as an indicator of habitat quality in the endangered Noisy Scrub-bird.

Joe Krawiec (2010) Population genetics of the skink Ctenotus fallens in urban Perth.

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Collaborators

The Wildlife Lab works closely with a number of individuals and organisations. Our primary collaborators at present include:

Dr Harriet Mills. Harriet works closely with the wildlife lab on mammal ecology and conservation-related topics, including invasive predators such as rats and foxes.

Prof. Luc Lens. Luc is at the University of Ghent, Belgium and he and Rob are collaborating on a study of the Moluccan Megapode and avian conservation in Palau.

Dr Jan Engler. Jan is also based at the University of Ghent and he and Rob along with Luc, are collaborating on avian phylogenetic and biogeography research focussed on the avifauna of Palau. They co-supervise a University of Ghent PhD student.

Adjunct A/Prof. Allan Burbidge. Allan has helped supervise many honours students and provides ongoing and important input to the lab and it’s students, from his experience in bird ecology and conservation.

Prof. Rob Heinsohn, ANU. Rob and Rob (!) are collaborating on bird conservation research in the Pacific region and continue to work together on Australian parrot conservation.

Prof. Dale Roberts. Rob’s PhD supervisor, Dale and Rob still work together in the hope that they will eventually be able to get all of Rob’s PhD chapters published and get more students involved in amphibian research!