Nick is Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at Deakin University. His research focuses on how humans have altered Indo-Pacific Island biodiversity over millennia (using palaeoecology) and SE. Australian invertebrate biodiversity, especially beetles. Current research projects are exploring short range endemism in southeastern Australia’s lowland-montane forests and the Australian Alps. He is lucky to have four beetles, an assassin spider, a pincushion millipede, and a lace bug named in his honour, all as far as we know, short-range endemics.

Dr Jess Marsh is an ARC Industry Fellow at the University of Adelaide. Her research merges invertebrate taxonomy and systematics with conservation biology, to document biodiversity, assess species for extinction risk, and develop conservation guidelines. Her work focuses on short-range endemic taxa, which are often of elevated conservation concern due to their highly restricted ranges, with perhaps the epitome of this being obligate cave-living species, which may be confined to a single cave. Dr Marsh's research covers a range of disciplines, spanning from regionally based field work of cave and surface species, to national-scale computer-based analyses of invertebrate extinction risk. Dr Marsh links the findings of her research to conservation outcomes, through assessments for eligible species under threatened species listings, and the development of management guidelines. Dr Marsh works with a diverse array of stakeholders to progress conservation of Australia’s invertebrates, transforming research findings to outcomes through strong links with NGOs and state and federal government. She is co-founder of the charity Invertebrates Australia, co-chair of the Australia Species Specialist Group of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission, and a councillor on the Biodiversity Council

Emeritus Professor Andy Austin’s research over the last 45 years has focused on the systematics and diversity of Australian terrestrial and freshwater arthropods, including parasitic wasps, spiders and subterranean aquatic groups. The has contributed significant knowledge on their evolutionary history and has described over 600 new species. He has been a previous president of the Australian Entomological Society and the Society of Australian Systematic Biologists, and recently completed a term as Director of Taxonomy Australia. He has supervised over 40 PhD students, many of whom now hold positions in universities, government agencies and environmental consulting companies.

Kiarrah and Tim are Threatened Species Assessment Senior Project Officers within NSW DCCEEW, preparing conservation assessments for species and ecological communities nominated for listing under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 for consideration by the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee. Kiarrah previously worked as a Fauna Ecologist in the Sydney Basin bioregion before completing a PhD at the Australian National University. Her research focused on animal reintroductions through the lens of the refugee species concept, which is a framework for considering the risk of ecological misconceptions caused by shifted baselines in species conservation and management decisions. Tim has worked in local, state and territory governments in roles including native seed collection, seed banking, plant propagation, plant surveys and vegetation mapping. He completed a PhD examining species limits, evolutionary relationships and whole genome duplication in Australian native paper daisies (Xerochrysum, Coronidium and Leucozoma). Tim’s research has led to the description of 17 new species and the genus Leucozoma.

My background is in conservation assessment, biodiversity conservation, seed banking and plant population genomics in Australian tropical and temperate systems. At the Northern Territory Government Department of Lands, Planning and Environment, I manage NT's conservation assessment program to list threatened species in the Northern Territory under the national Common Assessment Method framework. I drive collaborative scientific research and survey programs for threatened and significant species to inform biodiversity conservation management, and deliver scientific analysis, strategy and advice to progress our understanding of biodiversity values, from population genomic to regional scales. I work in partnership with government, researchers, practitioners and industry to further our state of knowledge about biodiversity. My work delivers science to support decision-making and achieve priority conservation management outcomes.

Associate Professor Philip Barton is an entomologist and ecologist that conducts research on the biodiversity and function of insects and their role in ecosystems.

I’m a biodiversity data scientist with a background in evolutionary ecology and conservation biology. In my current role as Decision Support Program Lead at the Atlas of Living Australia, I focus on streamlining reproducible workflows for accessing and analysing open biodiversity data.

I lead the Global Change Ecology Lab, focusing on understanding how species respond to global change drivers and integrating such vulnerability into conservation assessments to develop efficient conservation plans. Before joining Monash University, I completed a short postdoctoral position at the University of Adelaide with Professor Phill Cassey. Earlier, I completed a two-year postdoc with Professor Aletta Bonn at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv). In May 2022, I completed my PhD at the University of Queensland with Professor Richard Fuller and Emeritus Professor Myron Zalucki. You can find more about our work here: https://shawanchowdhury.com/.