Niraj is a PhD student researching the disease interface between wild and domestic animals, working across both the Disease Ecology Lab and Global Ecology Lab at The University of Sydney.

Bernard Wilson is an honours student at the University of Sydney supervised by Professor Peter Banks and Dr Catherine Price. Bernard’s honours research focused on pre-hatching auditory cues in Australian freshwater turtles and whether these cryptic cues have recently become detectable to European red foxes.

Ann Flemming Nielsen obtained her master’s degree in environmental engineering from the Technical University of Denmark and has published research on the biodegradability of microplastics from tire wear and the ecotoxicity of offshore oil platform effluents. She further has experience in reef restoration from working as a scientific diver in the Seychelles, Thailand, and Australia. In her current role as a PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, she combines the two; her thesis investigates how augmenting the ecosystem engineering of marine habitat-forming species can be used to improve restoration outcomes. Focus is put on high-stress sites where an ecological shift is hindering restoration success. Having worked at the National Aquarium of Denmark, she is also passionate about science communication and exploring different forms of media to translate her findings to various audiences.

Hannah Christensen is an Honours student in the Global Ecology Lab at the University of Sydney. Her research focuses on the scavenging behaviour and social interactions of dingoes.

After completing a PhD specialising in the foraging ecology of short-tailed shearwaters and little penguins, Olly has worked for the 1 Million Turtles community conservation program, as the Roving Scientist Program Manager for Beaker Street, and as a Climate Research Officer for the National Environmental Science Program. Alongside her professional work, Dr. Dove co-manages and hosts the weekly radio-podcast show That’s What I Call Science, which amplifies diverse voices in STEMM. The team behind the show were awarded the Eureka Prize for STEM Inclusion in 2023 and Olly was individually recognised with a Tasmanian Young Achiever Award in 2024 for her science communication volunteering.

Thomas Stevens is an Honours student with the Desert Ecology Research Group at the University of Sydney, researching an ephemeral tree in the Simpson Desert. ESA 2025 is his first conference and he's excited to begin a career in ecology.

Ebony Gatto is a Wildlife Conservation and Science Graduate within the Threatened Species team at Zoos Victoria. She completed her Bachelor of Environmental Science (Wildlife and Conservation Biology) at Deakin University in 2024. Awarded a 2022 New Colombo Plan Scholarship and Fellowship by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for French Polynesia, India, Cook Islands, Malaysia and Japan, she also studied at the University of the South Pacific in Rarotonga and Sophia University in Tokyo. Her volunteer and study experiences have encompassed both local and global conservation efforts, including wildlife monitoring and research of both terrestrial and marine mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians. Ebony is currently working on amphibian welfare research projects, supporting Zoos Victoria’s Fighting Extinction programs to aid in the conservation and recovery of Victoria’s most vulnerable species.

Originally from Aotearoa/New Zealand, I'm currently a postgraduate research student based in the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) at the University of Adelaide. I'm researching how sedimentary DNA analysis can reconstruct pre-European baselines for vulnerable Australian mammals, how the species communities and their habitat have changed over time, and also seeing how this missing information can inform and optimise conservation and rewilding projects and their ongoing management. I previously graduated from Macquarie University with a Master of Conservation Biology, and did my undergraduate at the University of Otago, coming away with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. I'm fascinated with the rich history and diversity of Australian fauna, and aim to contribute to improving the outcomes of our vulnerable native species.

Joseph Jantke is a scond-year PhD Candidate at the University of Adelaide. His research interests are in bioacoustics, machine learning for ecology, and population ecology. He is interested in building on his skills in bioacoustics and continuing in the field; in Australia or overseas.

Hudson Browne is a graduate honours student from the University of Adelaide. Their research focuses on the ecology of Ctenophorus decresii and trying to expand their known distribution. Currently they are investigating how colouration in this species changes with vegetation densities.