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Australia has an incredibly diverse mammal fauna, with 87% of terrestrial species being endemic.  They are a treasure trove of interesting biology, enabling new perspectives on how key features of mammals have evolved.

Unfortunately, Australia also has the highest rate of mammalian extinction in the world in recent times. The Oz Mammals Genomics (OMG) consortium has been formed to develop genomic resources for Australian terrestrial mammals.

Janine will discuss the impact genomic resources are having on providing insight into the evolution of some of unique features of Australian mammals and the conservation of these remarkable animals.

Janine complete her PhD in Biology at Macquarie University. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Centre in San Antonio, Janine returned to Australia and joined the Comparative Genomics Group at the ANU, where she combined her love of Australian mammals and genomics. Janine joined the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of Canberra in 2013 as an ARC Future Fellow working on tracking the evolution of devil facial tumour disease.

Her current projects include understanding the mechanisms of speciation using rock-wallabies as a model group and sex determination in the central bearded dragon. Janine is leading the whole genomes working group of the Oz Mammals Genomics Initiative. 

Institute for Applied Ecology Seminar Series