Student mentorship

As an undergraduate and post-graduate I had many wonderful opportunities to work with scientists around the country and the world while studying biology. These experiences were profoundly important for my decision to pursue a career in academics. Since then, I have endeavored to help students explore their interest in biology through independent research.

Current students:

Fanny Hovring Kraft – PhD student, Deakin University
Fanny research interests are animal behaviour and cognition. Her PhD research focuses on the transgenerational effects of developmental stress on song learning in zebra finches.

Sarah Fischer – PhD student, Charles Darwin University
Sarah is interested in studying the effects of changing fire regimes on bird species in Australia. For her PhD research, she is using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to track the movement of the endangered Gouldian Finch across the landscape in response to human disturbance. An additional component of her research utilizes physiological tools to examine how mining activity affects health and fitness in Gouldian Finches.

Past students:

Harry Eyck – Honours student, Deakin University
Harry completed an Honours project at Deakin studying the transgenerational effects of developmental stress on breeding behaviour in zebra finches. Additionally, he conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effects of developmental stress on animal phenotype and fitness across taxonomic groups. He has recently been offered a PhD scholarship to work with Dr. Lee Ann Rollins at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

Stephanie Driscoll – MILES student, University of Montana 
Stephanie Driscoll was awarded a Montana Integrated Learning Experiences for Students (MILES) fellowship (2011) to study the effects of developmental stress on motoric learning in zebra finches. She also received the Senior Award (2012) given to one graduating student in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Montana in recognition of excellent independent research. Stephanie continued to collaborate on research projects in the Eastern Sierras, California and most recently in at Fowler’s Gap Research Station in Broken Hill, Australia and at Deakin University.