Dr Julian Beaman

I joined Flinders University as a Research Associate in 2020, having completed a PhD in Evolutionary Physiology at the University of Queensland (2019) and a year as a Research Officer at Monash University. My research seeks to understand how ecological and evolutionary processes shape animal behaviour and physiology and to predict the individial- and population-level responses of animals to changing environments. I currently study terrestrial animals (koalas and native bees) and in the past I have studied cockroaches, freshwater fish and Arctic seabirds.

At Flinders, I am part of an interdisciplinary team working on an ARC Linkage Project bringing together expertise on koala ecology and behaviour, conservation genomics, and ecological modelling to develop advanced computational models of genetic rescue of inbred koala populations. I am enthusiastic about collaborative research and impact beyond academia. Through my research, I have helped to strengthen our existing Linkage Project partnerships with the University of Sydney, Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, South Australia Department for Environment and Water, Koala Life, and WWF-Australia. I have also helped to grow our network of partners across government departments/agencies (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, CSIRO's National Koala Monitoring Program), consultancy firms (Endeavour Veterinary Ecology), technology engineering company (LX Group), and a number of Australian universities (the University of Queensland, Macquarie University, University of Newcastle, University of the Sunshine Coast). I am the co-lead of the SA Node of the National Koala Monitoring Program.

I have also helped to co-develop the Citizen Science Passport to Recovery program based on Kangaroo Island, which engages visitors and local business to participate in 12 citizen science projects aimed at monitoring post-fire recovery of natural ecosystems on the island.