Professor Mike Lee
Professor
College of Science and Engineering
I am interested in broad-scale patterns of evolution, such as major changes in body plan, or why some groups speciate much more rapidly than others. Reptiles are typically the research focus, though I also collaborate with workers on other groups such as birds, mammals and even arthropods. We have recently obtained major funding to work on snake evolution (see below).
I grew up in Queensland (mainly Brisbane) in the 80s, and spent most of my childhood catching and examining any creature that moved, much to my parents horror. I now ostensibly get to do this for a living, except that with encroaching age and committments my research is moving more into theoretical and computational areas. I think Bayesian methods are the future of science.
Follow our work on Twitter, Instagram, Wordpress, Google Scholar, and Academia
- B.Sc (Hons) in Zoology from the University of Queensland, supervised by Barrie Jamieson.
- Ph.D (Zoology/Palaeontology) from the University of Cambridge, supervised by Jenny Clack FRS.
AWARDS
- Fulbright Fellow, Australian-American Fulbright Commission, 1998
- Edgeworth David Medal, Royal Society of NSW, 2000
- Tall Poppy Award and Ambassador, Australian Institute of Policy and Science, 2003-2004
- Top 10 breakthroughs of 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science (Science 346:1444)
- Riversleigh Medal, The Riversleigh Society, 2015
- Verco Medal, RSSA. 2018
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RESEARCH GRANTS (only major (>50K) and current projects listed)
- Lee, MSY, Sherratt, E. Snake Fangs: implications for evolution, palaeoenvironments and biomechanics. ARC Discovery Grant. $441 000 (2020, 2021, 2022).
- Lee MSY. Integrating fossils and genomes to resolve the early evolution of snakes. ARC Discovery Grant. $351 000 (2016, 2017, 2018).
- Prideaux G, Lee MSY et al. Illuminating the evolutionary history of Australia's most iconic animals. ARC Discovery Grant. (2019, 2020, 2021).
- Long JA, Lee MSY et al. Resolving evolutionary problems at the fish-tetrapod transition. ARC Discovery Grant. $491 000 (2016, 2017, 2018)
- Thomson V, Jones, MEH, Sumner, J, Lee, MSY, Hutchinson MN, Sanders KL. Testing co-evolutionary processes driving venom diversity in tiger snakes. ARC Linkage Grant. $164 000 (2017, 2018, 2019)
- Crowe-Riddell, J., Collin, S., Lee, MSY, Sanders, K, Clement A, David-Rabosky A., Plastic brains: Neural adaptations to changing environments in reptiles. ARC Discovery Grant $430 000 (2023, 2024, 2025).
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AFFILIATED RESEARCHERS
- Dr. Alessandro Palci, ARC-funded Postdoc. Early evolution of snakes; limb loss in reptiles. (jointly hosted by Dr. Emma Sherratt, University of Adelaide).
- Dr. Jackie Nguyen. ARC DECRA fellow. Songbird evolution. (jointly hosted with Trevor Worthy; also affiliated with Australian Museum, Sydney).
- Dr. Jenna Crowe-Riddell. Visiting Research fellow. Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Michigan (hosted by A/Prof Alison Davis-Rabosky)
AFFILIATED POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS
- Kailah Thorn, Ph.D student. Fossils and morphological evolution of Egernia group skinks (primary supervisor, with Hutchinson and Prideaux).
- Jacob Blokland, Ph.D student. Evolution of rails (Aves). (associate supervisor, with Trevor Worthy)
- Ellen Mather, Ph.D student. Fossil accipitrid birds of prey (Aves). (associate supervisor, with Trevor Worthy)
- James Dorey, Ph.D student. Bee systematics and biodiversity. (associate supervisor, with Mike Schwarz and Mark Stevens)
- Phoebe McInerney. Ph.D Student. Dromornithbid bird palaeobiology (associate supervisor, with Trevor Worthy)
- Corinne Mensforth. Ph.D student. Skull and brain evolution across the fish-tetrapod transition. (associate supervisor, with John Long and Alice Clement).
- Ammresh. Honours Student enrolled via University of Adelaide. Phenotypic plasticity in Tiger Snakes (supervisors: Emma Sherratt and Alessandro Palci).
I am part of the FLINDERS PALAEONTOLOGY GROUP, one of the best places in Australia to study the deep history of life. This consists of the labs of following academic staff and research fellows addressing questions across all vertebrates - from fish to mammals, and the Cambrian to the Anthropocene.
- A/Prof Gavin Prideaux, Dr. Aaron Camens, Prof. emeritus Rod Wells, Dr. Matt McDowell, Grant Gully: Australian mammal evolution, extinction, biodiversity and environmental changes.
- Prof. John Long, Dr. Brian Choo, Dr. Alice Clement: Early evolution of vertebrates; assembly of the modern vertebrate body plan.
- Prof. Michael Lee, Dr. Alessandro Palci: Systematics and macroevolution, especially of fossil and living reptiles; molecular paleobiology.
- Dr. Trevor Worthy: Taxonomy and phylogeny of fossil birds of the Australasia-Pacific region.
MY POPULAR ARTICLES are freely available here:
- https://theconversation.com/profiles/mike-lee-8293/articles
- https://flinders.academia.edu/MichaelLee
- https://michaelsylee.wordpress.com/
MEDIA COVERAGE OF RESEARCH BY MYSELF AND COLLABORATORS, some examples:
- Anaconda dissection: Adelaide Advertiser,
- Eye evolution: New York Times, National Geographic
- Cambrian Explosion: Science AAAS,
- Dinosaur-bird evolution: BBC, Time Magazine
- Seasnakes: Discover, LiveScience,
- Fossil Snakes: Science News,
- Ancient DNA of Elephant birds: National Geographic,
- Fossil Fish reproduction: Sydney Morning Herald, Cosmos,
- Placental mammal evolution: ABC,
- Biodiversity
- Palaeontology
- Reptiles
- Zoology
South Australian Museum Office and Lab
- Ph: 08 8207 7568
- Email: Mike.Lee@samuseum.sa.gov.au
- Mail: Earth Sciences Section, South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide 5000
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I am part of the Flinders Palaeontology Group, one of the best places in Australia to study the deep history of life. This consists of the labs of the following academic staff and research fellows (and their research groups) addressing questions across all vertebrates - from fish to mammals, and the Cambrian to the Anthropocene.
- Prof Gavin Prideaux, Dr. Aaron Camens, Prof. emeritus Rod Wells, Dr. Matt McDowell, Grant Gully (lab manager): Australian mammal evolution, extinction, biodiversity and environmental changes.
- Prof. John Long, Dr. Brian Choo, Dr. Alice Clement: Early evolution of vertebrates; assembly of the modern vertebrate body plan.
- Prof. Michael Lee, Dr. Alessandro Palci: Systematics and macroevolution, especially of fossil and living reptiles; molecular paleobiology.
- Assoc Prof Trevor Worthy: Taxonomy, phylogeny and evolution of fossil birds, especially of the Australasia-Pacific region.
Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042
South Australia | Northern Territory
Global | Online
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