Webinar - What is an Early Career Ecologist? Advice on making the transition from ecology student to professional.

– When: Wednesday 6 November, 2024; 11am AEDT –

– Online via Zoom – Register now –

The transition from undergraduate and postgraduate studies to being fully-fledged researchers and professionals can leave a gap of uncertainty for a lot of people. This webinar seeks to address that uncertainty and answer the questions that many early career ecologists struggle with. Listen as four early career ecologists discuss:

What actually is an Early Career Ecologist/Early Career Researcher (ECE/ECR)?
How long are you typically considered an ECE/ECR?
What are some non-academic options after your honours or postgraduate studies? How do you best set yourself up during your studies for both?
How do you secure consistent funding as an ECE/ECR?
Can having a mentor be useful as an ECE/ECR in academia or industry?
Conducting quality research in a ‘publish or perish’ environment.
Creating a work-life balance in a highly competitive, insecure work environment.

Attendees are encouraged to submit questions to before the webinar for panellists to discuss and answer during the session.

Panellists include:

Dr Olly Dove (Chair) – Coming from a background in zoology, Olly Dove recently completed her PhD in the foraging ecology of short-tailed shearwaters and little penguins at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (University of Tasmania). Her time is now split three-ways: as a Climate Research Officer for the National Environmental Science Program, as part of the 1 Million Turtles citizen science program, and as weekly host and co-manager of the That’s What I Call Science radio/podcast show (for which she was awarded an Australian Museum Eureka Award in 2023).

Dr Adam Frew – Adam is a researcher at Western Sydney University where he studies arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, how they affect plants, and what influences their diversity and composition. He obtained his PhD from the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment in 2017, where he studied the impacts of the soil environment on root feeding insects. Since then, he has been awarded an ARC DECRA to explore how agricultural management shapes mycorrhizal fungal diversity and how community composition impacts plant defences against insect herbivores. He has also been the recipient of a Rising Star Award from the International Mycorrhiza Society (2024), an ESA Next Generation Ecologist Award (2023), a Young Tall Poppy Science Award by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (2021) and a Thomas Davies Award and Grant by the Australian Academy of Science (2020).

Dr Holly Bradley – Holly is a Research Fellow at Curtin University with a range of experience, from studying the behavioural ecology of sloths in Costa Rica to honey possum conservation in Western Australia. Holly completed her PhD in 2022, which investigated the habitat requirements of an endangered skink to inform ongoing conservation and translocation management. Her work has continued in this space, using applied ecological research to inform management decisions for threatened and culturally significant fauna. Right-way science is a key focus of her work, striving towards bringing Western Science and Traditional Knowledge together for improved science outcomes. She was awarded the ESA Next Generation Ecologist Award in 2022.

Dr Heather Neilly – Heather is a landscape ecologist with a particular interest in arid zone restoration. She is currently an ARC Early Career Industry Fellow at Federation University, exploring the best ways to restore functional and resilient Eucalyptus mallee woodlands. Heather has strong industry connections, previously working as an ecologist in mining, consulting, for conservation NGOs and local council. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Adelaide (2001-2005) and PhD at James Cook University in Townsville (2014-2018). Heather lives in Renmark, SA with her husband, three daughters and two dogs. She was awarded the 2021 ESA Next Generation Ecologist Award.