Lab Members

The Adaptive Ecology Lab Members

Current

Olivia De La Mare – Masters Student (2025/26)
[Co-supervised with A/Prof Brad Murray and Prof Jonathan Webb]

My MSc research focuses on how changes to fire regimes are impacting native Australian fauna, particularly reptiles, in the heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park. My work is novel, exploring multiple ecological variable in the context of changing fire age classes and fire intensity, at both a species and community level. I hope to develop a framework to help conserve these misperceived fauna species for future generations.

📧 olivia.k.delamare@student.uts.edu.au

Luke Carr – Summer Intern (2025/26)
[Co-supervised with Dr Inna Osmolovky]

Molly Wallace – PhD Student (2024 – present) [Co-supervised with A/Prof Brad Murray and Dr Yvonne Davila]

Past

Interns

Lauren Blue (6cp; Spring 2025) [Co-supervised with A/Prof Brad Murray]
– Assessing the efficacy of plant identification apps

Georgia Daniele (6cp; Spring 2025) [Co-supervised with A/Prof Brad Murray]
– Assessing the efficacy of plant identification apps

Jae Bell (24cp; Spring 2025) [Co-supervised with A/Prof Brad Murray]
– Assessing the efficacy of plant identification apps

Georgia Daniele (6cp; Spring 2025)
– Professional internship with NSW National Parks

Audrey Bell (6cp; Spring 2025)
– Professional internship with Planting Seeds

Syvlette Robinson (6cp; Spring 2025)
– Professional internship with Planting Seeds

Katina Huang (12cp; Spring 2025)
– Research internship assisting with fieldwork planning, collecting seeds and scanning vegetation using LiDAR

Joel Telfer (6cp; Spring 2025)
– Research internship assisting with fieldwork planning, collecting seeds and scanning vegetation using LiDAR

Jayden Jackson-Hay (6cp; Spring 2025)
– Research internship assisting with fieldwork planning, collecting seeds and scanning vegetation using LiDAR

Marcelle Tiller (6cp; Spring 2024)
– Mapping the Spread: Insights from a Comprehensive Database of Invasive Plant Species In New South Wales

Rohan Chretien (18cp; Spring 2024) [Co-supervised with Dr Yvonne Davila]
– Flying solo or a group affair? Neighbouring plant and floral visitor impacts on the reproduction and defences of Lantana camara in the Sydney Region
-> Now a Trainee Ecologist at Abel Ecology.

Olivia De La Mare (12cp; Spring 2024) [Co-supervised with A/Prof Brad Murray]
– The effect of bushfire history and severity on habitat structural suitability for reptiles
-> Now pursuing a Masters by Research (see above).

Honours

Tully Lily-Merigan (2025) [Co-supervised with A/Prof Brad Murray, Dr Jen Matthews, Dr Malcolm Possell and Natasha Bartels]
– A chemical inferno: How emitted biogenic volatile organic compounds affect plant flammability

Adam Powell (2024 – 2025) [Co-supervised with A/Prof Brad Murray and Dr Anne Griebel]
– Leaf and shoot traits explain shoot flammability in dry sclerophyll plant species

Madelon Cruickshank (2022) [Co-supervised with Prof Angela Moles]
– Introducing the COVERater: A training tool that decreases inaccuracy of cover estimates in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
-> Now in the Graduate Development Program of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Sebastian Schwarz (2020) [Co-supervised with Prof Angela Moles]
– Plants with domatia house mycophagous mites to endure wetter climates for fungal control
-> Now a Policy Officer at the Department of Agriculture & the Environment.

Masters

Michelle Bird (Environment Research Project A; Spring 2025) [Co-supervised with A/Prof Brad Murray]
– Assessing the efficacy of plant identification apps