Evolution of Australia’s globally unique hotspot of floral diversity

Australia has a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot, the southwest of Western Australia, but this unique flora is highly threatened. Using the iconic eucalypts and representative biota, we will contrast this hotspot with the southeastern Australia to determine the processes responsible for species generation and biodiversity maintenance. We will base this analysis on the first-ever phylogeny relating all species of eucalypts, by using next-generation genomic sequencing. This is a ARC-funded project.

We are seeking students with a strong background in either molecular lab work, especially using next-gen sequencing, or in next-gen bioinformatics, especially for phylogenetic analysis.

We are looking for up to three PhD students, to be based at either ANU or University of QLD with Dr Lyn Cook. We also welcome enquiries from potential honours students.