My interests are in invasion biology, exploring the evolutionary mechanisms that drive a successful invasive species. Successful introduced species pose an ecological and financial threat in their invaded range, but also provide an important opportunity to observe rapid evolution within a species as it responds to new ecosystems. Studying the genetic and phenotypic change in invasive species is of great interest to me, as this has applications in many scientific fields, including but not limited to pest control, conservation, organism response to climate change, and general evolutionary mechanisms.

Invasive species; rapid evolution; bioinformatics; genomics; population ecology

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Sicut acta intellectus in non-patria populi population geneticae artis opem fert, ut identify coegi felix introductiones. Autem, vel sanctificare me adaptive mutatione loci a technica difficultatem ac sigillis loricatum founding rationis constituit multitudinem, cum de incursio ire conantur. De historia principiis, sicut etiam processus of range expansion, quam conturbavit adaption in putative interpretatio responsio ad novum environment. Hic, investigate non putative transposase selectionis annuit introduced in Australia populi commune sturni, Sturnus vulgaris, a scrutandis population wide Biodiversity Heritage Album Polymorphisms identifying SNP et consociata cum manor environmental variables. Decernimus ut procul orbis terrarum plays fortis munus in structuram geneticae populorum, et hoc maxime verisimile fortiter a geneticae differences founding in nationibus, tum modern die population connectivity. Hoc putative indicavit loci lectio in scrutandis candidatus SNPs adaption est probabile occurrit tamen, fortis dispositio geneticae variatione, verisimile founding a nationibus, quæ sunt visibilia in SNPs sunt vehementer consociata cum environmental variables. Cum Psidium populos in scrutandis adaption putativum, si robora discrimine interpretatio Alfridi subscriptione fecerunt. Et etiam loci environmental variables vehementer consociata cum scrutati, ut habet historia distincta vestigia tumultus tumultus expansion graduum seu exerceat, confundat Analysis historia electionis: ex his nationibus.

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-2019-

3. Cardilini APA†, Stuart KC†, Cassey P, Richardson MF, Sherwin W, Rollins LA*, Sherman CDH*. 2019 Local signatures of founding populations confound examination of adaptive divergence in invasive populations. BioRViX, doi.org/10.1101/643569

-2018-

2. Stuart KC, Brown GP, Shine R. 2018 Proximate mechanisms underlying the rapid modification of phenotypic traits in cane toads (Rhinella marina) across their invasive range within Australia. Biol J Linnean Soc. 126(1):68-79, doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/bly150

1. Hudson CM, Brown GP, Stuart KC, Shine R. 2018 Sexual and geographical divergence in head widths of invasive cane toads, Rhinella marina (Anura: Bufonidae), is driven by both rapid evolution and plasticity. Biol J Linnean Soc. 124(2):188-99, doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/bly040

† indicates joint first authorship, * indicates joint last authorship

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EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy (Biology) - University of New South Wales 2018-present

Bachelor of Science (Advanced) (Honours) - University of Sydney 2013-2017
Thesis Title: Mechanisms generating geographic divergence in phenotypic traits within the invasive cane toad in Australia Supervisors: Professors Richard Shine & Gregory Brown

GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, & AWARDS

Scholarships
Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship 2018-2022

Awards
COMBINE 2018 Symposium 3rd place best oral presentation ($50) 2018
The Outstanding Evolution and Ecology Presentation EERC talk runner up 2018
Edgeworth David Prize in Palaeontology ($50) 2014

Travel Awards
Postgraduate Research Student Support (PRSS) Scheme ($350) 2018
ABACBS National Conference CSL travel award ($200) 2018

SCIENTIFIC PRESENTATIONS

ABACBS 2018 National Conference, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, November 27-28
Evolution in invasive populations: using genomics to reveal drivers of invasion success in the Australian European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) introduction across Australia. [poster]

COMBINE 2018 Symposium, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, November 26 Evolution in invasive populations: using genomics to reveal drivers of invasion success in the Australian European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) introduction across Australia. [talk]

Postgraduate Research Form 2018, UNSW, New South Wales, Australia, October 30 Evolution in invasive populations: using genomics to reveal drivers of invasion success in the Australian European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) introduction across space and time. [talk]

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

BABS3291 – Genes, Genomes and Evolution (University of New South Wales) 2018-2019
Laboratory demonstrator for a third-year biotechnology and biomolecular sciences subject, teaching students with a range of biological and coding knowledge. Emphasized topics include introduction to evolutionary bioinformatics, fundamental genomic principles, and investigation into recent advancements in the field.

BABS1201 - Molecules, Cells and Genes (University of New South Wales) Term 1, 2019
Laboratory demonstrator for a first-year biotechnology and biomolecular sciences subject. Duties include supervising classes to ensure safely protocols are adhered to, marking assignments, and supervising assessable tasks. I was responsible for motivating constructive discussion among students, as well as explaining biological processed to students, and assisting with experimental procedures.

Private tutor (Elite Education, various private employers) 2014 - present
Private tutoring sessions for students studying a range of subjects, years 5-12.

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AND FIELD EXPERIENCE

Research Volunteer - Deakin University December 2017
Species collection and transportation to field station.

Research Assistant - Deakin University August 2017
Animal husbandry and data collection for a PhD project located at a regional Northern Territory research station.

Honours Research - University of Sydney August 2016 – February 2017
Based at a remote research station in Northern Territory, Australia for 6 months while collecting data for completion of my honours thesis.

Undergraduate Field Research - University of Sydney 2013-2015
BIOL3910 (Tropical Wildlife Biology – Adv) and GEOS2008 (Field Geology). Various fieldwork components of other classes.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING

Bioconductor Hands-on Training Day , 4th Bioconductor Asia meeting, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (2018)

Sample Size and Power Calculations, Stats Central, UNSW, New South Wales, Australia (2018)

ANGUS – Analysing Sequencing Data, Data Intensive Biology Summer Institute, UC Davis, California, USA (2018)

Software Carpentry Workshop – R, Unix shell, Git, Curtin University, Perth, Australia (2018)

SERVICE AND OUTREACH

E&ERC Postgraduate Committee January 2019 - present

COMBINE General Committee - Symposium Coordinator December 2018 - present

GIW/ABACBS 2019 Conference Committee – COMBINE representative December 2018 - present

AES 2019 Conference Committee April 2019 - present

Sydney Society for Conservation Biology - Communications October 2018 - present

Australian National Museum - Volunteer August 2014 - present

Friends of Fogg Dam - Invited Speaker October 2016

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Australian Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Society (2018)

Ecological Society of Australia (2018)

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