Tell us about yourself?
I’m a conservation scientist, and endlessly curious about our amazing natural ecosystems that we are reliant on in so many ways. In particular, I’m fascinated by the variation within plant species, how it relates to the environment and how we can support the adaptability and resilience of ecosystems in a rapidly changing world.
Tell us about your current position?
I’m a Research Scientist at CSIRO. This involves managing and undertaking research projects, in my case with a focus on conservation and environmental projects. My day-to-day work includes designing and running experiments including fieldwork, data analysis, project management, engaging with collaborators and stakeholders, and communicating research findings to broad audiences through reports, papers and presentations.
What inspired you to become a scientist?
A combination of my fascination for the natural world and curiosity – a desire to keep learning and finding out more. As a research scientist, I’m able to combine these, learning about how plants respond and adapt to their environment and change. Additionally, I’m now also inspired about how we can apply this new knowledge to conservation and land management to ensure sustainable nature systems.
Tell us about your project and what its primary goal is?
The CRC TiME project I work on investigates how we can improve revegetation outcomes in a changing climate. We’re testing alternative seed-sourcing strategies for revegetation plantings that aim to increase climate resilience, exploring their effectiveness for improved revegetation outcomes both in the short and long term. The findings from this project aim to contribute to understanding how to create resilient revegetation more broadly.
What makes you so passionate about your project?
This project is an exciting opportunity to test different revegetation strategies in practice. One challenge for revegetation in a changing world is understanding how to create plantings that will be resilient now but also in 10, 50, or 100 years, when conditions may be quite different. This project works to create real-world data that contributes to achieving this goal of long-term revegetation success.
How does being involved with CRC TiME help support your love of science?
What I’m really enjoying about being involved with CRC TiME is not only collaborating with amazing research partners but also fabulous industry partners. Working together, bringing our diverse expertise, to directly address a current industry challenge. Designing experiments with applied outcomes that aim to improve environmental and conservation outcomes on the ground. Seeing how this work fits together with other CRC TiME projects and contributes to the broader goal of enhancing post-mine transitions is also exciting.
To read more about Rebecca’s project, click here