Dr Catherine Attard

Academic Status

College of Science and Engineering

place Biological Sciences
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

I grew up in Sydney and always enjoyed nature. My undergraduate biology degree at the University of Western Sydney took a turn towards genetics - I realised how DNA can be used to answer a range of questions in ecology and evolution, and that these answers can be applied to conservation and management. This led me to a Honours and PhD in blue whale conservation genetics at Macquarie University, Sydney, with my PhD awarded in 2014. I moved to Adelaide and became a lecturer and researcher at Flinders University in ecological, evolutionary and conservation genomics. I was a member of the Molecular Ecology Lab and the Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab at Flinders. As of July 2019, I moved on to other adventures outside of Flinders but maintain my academic connections.

Qualifications
  • PhD in Biology, 2014. Macquarie University, Australia
  • BSc (Honours) in Biology, 2008. Macquarie University, Australia
  • BSc (Advanced Science) in Biological Sciences, 2007. University of Western Sydney, Australia
Honours, awards and grants
  • Vice-Chancellor's Award for Early Career Researchers, 2018. Flinders University, Adelaide.
  • SA Young Tall Poppy Award, 2018. Australian Institute of Policy and Science.
  • Dean's Medal, 2007. University of Western Sydney, Australia.

Research funding

Total external funding AU$475,913.61, GBP19,381 and US$2,900. Total internal funding AU$16,000. Funding >$15,000:

  • GBP19,381. International Whaling Commission’s Southern Ocean Research Partnership (IWC-SORP), UK. 2016. Möller, Attard (chief investigators), Beheregaray (co-investigator). “Population genomic structure of Antarctic blue whales in the Antarctic feeding grounds.”

  • AU$189,786.73. Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, Department of the Environment, Australia. 2014. Möller, Attard (chief investigators), Double, Burton, Paton (co-investigators). “Satellite tagging of blue whales in southern Australian waters: examining movements and occupancy patterns to inform management decision-making.”
  • AU$27,500. Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation, Australia. 2013. Attard, Möller, Beheregaray (chief investigators). "From conservation genetics to conservation genomics: assessing adaptive variation and population parameters of management significance in the endangered blue whale.”
  • AU$81,836.60. Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, Department of the Environment, Australia. 2009. Attard, Möller (chief investigators), Beheregaray, Ilangakoon, Anderson, Jenner, Gill, Burton, Morrice, Jenner (co-investigators). “Population genetic structure of blue whales in Australia and surrounding regions: Genetic assessment of northern Indian Ocean blue whales and connectivity with Australian blue whales.”
  • AU$131,598.40. Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, Department of the Environment, Australia. 2009. Möller, Gill, Jenner, Burton, Attard, Morrice, Jenner, Double, Beheregaray (chief investigators). “Population size of blue whales in Australian waters.”
  • AU$43,691.88. Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, Department of the Environment, Australia. 2008. Möller (chief investigator), Beheregaray, Attard, Burton, Gill, Jenner, Morrice, Jenner, Double, Harcourt (co-investigators). “Unravelling the genetic structure and diversity of Balaenoptera musculus in Australia: the genetic identity of Geographe Bay blue whales.”

Key responsibilities
  • Previous topic coordinator of BIOL3722 "Conservation and ecological genetics", BIOL3701 "Conservation biology and restoration ecology", and BIOL7710 "Honours critical readings".
  • Research in ecological, evolutionary and conservation genomics
Teaching interests
  • Ecology
  • Evolution
  • Conservation
  • Wildlife
  • Genetics
  • Genomics
Topic coordinator
BIOL3722 Conservation and Ecological Genetics
Supervisory interests
Conservation genetics
Ecology
Evolution
Molecular ecology
Population genetics
Expert for media contact
Animals
Biodiversity
Conservation
DNA studies
Ecology
Ecological, evolutionary and conservation genomics
Species expertise mostly in blue whales
Available for contact via
Or contact the media team
+61 8 82012092
0427 398 713
Researcher
Media expert
Media expertise
  • Animals
  • Biodiversity
  • Conservation
  • DNA studies
  • Ecology
Interests
  • Ecological, evolutionary and conservation genomics
  • Species expertise mostly in blue whales
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