Associate Professor Jeremy Austin

Associate Professor Jeremy Austin
 Position Associate Professor
 Org Unit Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
 Email jeremy.austin@adelaide.edu.au
 Telephone +61 8 8313 4557
 Location Floor/Room 2 ,  Darling ,   North Terrace
  • Biography/ Background

    My research uses "ancient" DNA techniques in two very different fields of genetics and evolution. The first focuses on using DNA sampled through space and time to understand the evolutionary history of living and extinct animals and birds, to assess the impacts of past environmental change on animal and bird populations, and to provide valuable genetic data for conservation and management of threatened species. The second utilises ancient DNA techniques to allow forensic identification of highly degraded human remains - murder victims, missing persons and war dead. In this area Jeremy's group is developing new "genomics" techniques for human identification as well as providing a service to the Australian Defence Force, Australian Police and humanitarian agencies to assist with the identification of human remains.

  • Qualifications

    BSc (Hons), University of Tasmania, 1991

    PhD, University of Tasmania, 1995

  • Research Interests

    RESEARCH STUDENTS AND PROJECTS

    Current postgraduate/honours students
    • Lauren White, PhD
    • Felicia Bardan, PhD
    • Duncan Jardine, PhD
    • Felicity Coulson, Hons, (Griffith University)
    • Michael Herrera, PhD
    • Anna Bruniche-Olsen, PhD (University of Tasmania)

    Completed postgraduate/honours students

    2002:

    Alex Anderson, Honours – James Cook University, Population genetics of grey-headed
    robins in the Australian Wet Tropics, (co-supervisor).

    2005:

    James Nicholls, PhD – University of Queensland, Call and genetic variation in the satin
    bowerbird, (principal supervisor).


    2006:

    Gaynor Dolman, PhD – University of Queensland, Speciation in Wet Tropics fauna:
    Carlia skinks, (principal supervisor).

    Conrad Hoskin, PhD – University of Queensland, Evolution in a secondary contact zone
    between two lineages of the Green-eyed Tree Frog Litoria genimaculata, (principal
    supervisor).

    2007:

    Sherryn Ciavaglia, Honours – 成人大片, Ancient human DNA, (principal
    supervisor).

    Michelle Roberts, Honours – 成人大片, Morphological and molecular
    analysis of diet in the arrow squid, Nototodarus gouldi, (principal supervisor).

    2009:

    Jessica Wadley, Honours – 成人大片, Phylogeography and conservation
    genetics of Wedge-tailed Eagles, (principal supervisor).

    2010:

    Sarah Bray, PhD – 成人大片, Evolution and demography of giant shortfaced
    bears and brown bears, (principal supervisor).

    Nicolas Rawlence, PhD – 成人大片, Population demographics of moa in
    New Zealand during the late Pleistocene and Holocene, (co-supervisor).

    Josh Hale, PhD – University of Melbourne, Human induced changes in the genetic
    structure of amphibian populations, (co-supervisor).

    Xiaodan Ding, Honours – 成人大片, Variation in sperm morphology
    among Australian hopping mice, Notomys, and its possible significance, (cosupervisor).

    Lindi Olivier, Honours – 成人大片, Conservation genetics of Wedgetailed
    Eagles, (principal supervisor).

    2011:

    Andrew Hugall, PhD – 成人大片, Wet Tropics land snail phylogeography,
    (principal supervisor).

    Katie Smith, PhD – University of Melbourne, A temporal investigation of hybridisation
    in south-eastern Australian tree frogs, (co-supervisor).

    Shelann Webb, Honours – 成人大片, Extraction and Quantification of
    Human DNA from Skeletal Remains, (principal supervisor).

    2013:

    Brett Homes, Honours – 成人大片, Phylogeography of Australian
    rainforest birds, (principal supervisor).

    Lauren White, Honours – 成人大片, Conservation genetics of northern
    hairy-nosed wombats, (principal supervisor).

    Katrina Morris, PhD – University of Sydney, Genetics of the Tasmanian devil and
    immunology of the devil facial tumour disease, (co-supervisor).

    2014:

    Denice Higgins, PhD – 成人大片, A study of post-mortem degradation of
    teeth to advance forensic DNA analysis as a tool for human identification, (principal
    supervisor).


    Jessica Wadley, PhD – 成人大片, Population genetics and phylogeography
    of antilopine wallaroo using degraded DNA from scats and museum specimens,
    (principal supervisor).


    Caitlin Morrison, Honours – 成人大片, Conservation genetics of northern
    hairy-nosed wombats, (principal supervisor)

  • Publications

    Citation Statistics
    • Total publications: 95 (peer-reviewed), 24 (popular science and commissioned reports)
    • Total citations: 2900
    • Average number of citations/article: 23.76 (ISI)
    • h-index: 28

  • Community Engagement

    Science Communication to the Wider Community

    2009    Public lecture on ancient DNA - Museum Victoria, Melbourne (http://museumvictoria.com.au/about/mv-news/2009/ancient-dna-lecture/)

                Public lecture on ancient DNA - Research Tuesdays, 成人大片 ()

                Palaeontology Week – public lecture at the South Australian Museum

                Public lecture on ancient DNA - Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston

    2008    Can You Believe It – popular science article for the Advertiser newspaper

                Maths Science Life Impact – ancient DNA presentation and activity for high school students

    2007    Science@Adelaide - ancient DNA presentation to high school students

                Can You Believe It – two popular science articles for the Advertiser newspaper

    2006    National Science Week – CSIRO Cutting Edge Science Lecture, 成人大片

                CONASTA – National Science Teachers Conference, 成人大片

    2004    National Science Week, Museum Victoria – public presentation on ancient DNA

    2003    National Science Week, Museum Victoria – public presentation on ancient DNA

                Owl Genetics Project  - with Australian Geographic magazine – co-ordinator of this public participation research project, and associated media coverage (TV, news and radio).

                DNA Lab – live laboratory-based public display at Museum Victoria which received

    widespread media coverage and won the 2004 Museum Australia – Museum Industry

    Recognition Award.

    Media

    2010      Totally Wild, Channel 10 – Yellow-eyed penguins

    2009      Catalyst, ABC TV () – Ancient DNA           Monsterquest, The History Channel () – Isle of the Lost Tiger

    The Age, Education Section () – Ancient DNA

     

    2008

    ABC TV (), The Advertiser (), Fox News (), Science Daily () - Tasmanian Devils

    Readers Digest “The Hunt for the Unknown Sailor” Helen O’Neill – HMAS Sydney DNA identification

    Stateline, ABC TV () - HMAS Sydney DNA identification

    BBC News (), ABC News (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/03/05/2181122.htm?site=science&topic=latest) - Hobbit debate

    Reuters (), BBC News (), Sydney Morning Herald (http://news.smh.com.au/national/research-identifies-new-penguin-species-20081119-6b8i.html), ABC News () - Yellow-eyed penguins.

     

    2007            The Bulletin Magazine “The Bone Sailor” Cheryl Jones – HMAS Sydney DNA identification

The information in this directory is provided to support the academic, administrative and business activities of the 成人大片. To facilitate these activities, entries in the University Phone Directory are not limited to University employees. The use of information provided here for any other purpose, including the sending of unsolicited commercial material via email or any other electronic format, is strictly prohibited. The University reserves the right to recover all costs incurred in the event of breach of this policy.

Entry last updated: Tuesday, 16 Jan 2024

To link to this page, please use the following URL:  /directory/jeremy.austin