Ok, so we're not all about beetle sex, but we do all think that beetle sex is pretty cool. Art by oh little spark art. Check it out!
Megan Head (PI)
Born and raised in Canberra I moved to James Cook University to begin my undergrad in marine biology. During my degree I quickly realised that my passion lay in understanding biodiversity, so I moved to the ANU where I completed my degree with a focus on ecology and evolution. I conducted my honours with Prof Scott Keogh on chemical communication in water skinks. I then moved to the University of New South Wales to conduct my PhD under the supervision of Prof Rob Brooks looking at the evolutionary consequences of the costs of mate choice. After my PhD I spent two years at the University of Wisconsin investigating the role of sexual selection in speciation of three-spined sticklebacks. During this time I got to spend considerable time in the field on islands off the coast of British Columbia - what a beautiful place! After my time in the states I then spent 6 years as a post-doc in the UK - where I worked on a range of animals and questions including maternal effects in dung beetles at QMUL, nesting behaviour in sticklebacks at Uni of Leicester, and the evolution of parental care in Burying beetles at the University of Exeter. In 2013 I moved back to Australia and the ANU to take up a post-doc with Prof Michael Jennions, where we use mosquitofish as a model system to address fundamental questions about adaptation and the evolution of sexual traits. It was at this time I also began researching reproducibility in science. In 2017 I took up an ARC Future Fellowship to investigate how sexually transmitted infections influence the evolution of mating behaviour. In 2021, ANU became the permanent home of the "Head Lab".
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Current Lab Members
Muhammad Farooq (PhD student, co-supervised by Keith Bayliss and David Yeates - CSIRO)
I was born in the small town of Layyah, Pakistan, in a family deeply rooted in agriculture. Growing up among the scenic landscape of rural life, I got an inherent love for researching insects. Following the completion of my bachelor's and master's in Agricultural Entomology from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad Pakistan, I embarked on my professional career as a Scientific Officer at the Entomological Research Institute Faisalabad Pakistan. Over the past 12 years, I have served in various research institutions in Pakistan, dedicating my efforts to developing effective management strategies against insect pests of field and fruit crops. My focus has primarily centered on ecology, life histories, and the conservation of insects. Throughout my career, I developed strong data analysis and writing skills, resulting in the publication of more than 20 impact factor research articles covering various aspects of insect science. My PhD project combines the ecological evolution of dark taxa of Australia with a focus on developing a diversity scanner using advanced machine learning techniques. |
Fatema Akhter (PhD student; co-supervised by Michael Jennions)
I was born in a beautiful city in Bangladesh. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Fisheries from Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), Bangladesh and for my undergraduate result, I received the prestigious University Gold Medal and Dean’s Award. I completed my Master’s Degree in Fish Biology and Biotechnology from the same uni. Being in love with teaching I started my career as a Lecturer in the Dept. of Fish Biology and Biotechnology, CVASU, and served in that position from November 2017 to August 2022 (currently I am on study leave). From the very beginning of my career, I worked with fish and have done much work in the field of reproductive biology and physiology of fishes, although I had interests in the behavioral biology of fish. Currently, in my Ph.D. program, I am working on sexual conflict in Mosquitofishes and how environmental manipulation modulates the level of conflict among them. I would like to develop my skill in the area of behavioral biology and expertise in this area in the future after returning back to my country. |
Md Mahmud Al Hasan (PhD student; co-supervised by Michael Jennions)
I grew up in Bangladesh, where I completed my Bachelor's degree in Fisheries and Marine Resource Technology discipline. My main area of research is the stress response in organisms. During my undergraduate studies, I worked with microalgae to investigate how stress can induce the production of biofuels. I also took part in various research projects, including the study of morphometrics in mud crabs, behavior and sexual traits in Guppies and Stinging catfish. Afterward, I moved to Germany (DAAD scholar) to do my Masters in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Bremen. While there, I conducted research on thermal stress physiology of European Seabass juveniles. Currently, I am working on my PhD, which focuses on how inbreeding affects the response to early-life thermal stress in Guppy fish. I am interested in both the behavior and the physiological mechanisms behind this response. In my free time, I enjoy traveling and have a long list of destinations I still hope to visit. I also enjoy playing cricket, football and watching psychological thriller movies. |
Diego de Moura Campos (PhD student)
I was born and raised in the most beautiful country in the world: Brazil! I obtained my BSc degree in Biological Sciences at the University of São Paulo (USP). Since undergrad my main interests have been animal ecology and evolution, in particular the intersection between disease ecology and animal behaviour. During my master's degree I developed research on the chytrid fungus dynamics in tropical terrestrial frogs at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). For my PhD, I am focusing on the role of microbes and parasites in sexual selection in all sorts of animals. I also have a big passion for science communication and teaching, I believe that is the way we can improve the world around us |
Past lab members
Madison Fink (Honours)
Maddie completed her honours in our lab (co-supervised with Fransisco Enciinas-Viso -CSIRO) looking at the effects of urban greenspaces on pollinator diversity in 2020. Maddie is most interested in invertebrate ecology and conservation, but is currently working as a research assistant with the Marsh Lab to better understand the effects of fire on Koala populations. |
Tina Gopalan (Special Topics student)
Tina conducted an undergraduate project investigating how an immune challenge affects guppy investment in the antipredator behavior (swimming performance & hiding duration). Tina went on to do her honours in the "Marsh Lab" looking at how fire affects the diet of greater gliders. |
Upama Aich (PhD student co-supervised with Micheal Jennions)
I was born and raised in Bangladesh- a country famous for its people and their hospitality (although, I could be an exception). I studied Zoology for Bachelors (Hons.) and Masters at the University of Dhaka. My Masters work included a study on the colonization of the butterfly Pachliopta aristolochiae and its host plant to understand the role a host plant plays for the development and characterization of this unpalatable (toxic) butterfly. My research interests also covered the status of butterflies and birds in Bangladesh and the study of butterfly diversity in a tropical urban habitat. For my PhD, I will be primarily working with mosquitofish focusing on the effect of male age on their reproductive success. During my time in Canberra, I also need to learn how to ride a bike, learn how to swim and possibly learn how to survive till the end of a PhD. |
Constanza Leon (Research Assistant)
Coni conducted her PhD on the genetics and behaviour of White-Winged Choughs with Rob Heinsohn at the Fenner School. She worked with us looking after the lab and conducting experiments on seed beetles and guppies, but now she has sadly left us. Coni now works for the ACT government researching issues to do with the environment and sustainability. |
Elroy Kwan Au (Special topics student, Summer scholar)
For his special topics project Elroy looked at immune anticipation in mosquitofish and for the summer scholar program he is currently working on two projects one working out methods to use photos to individually identify rabbitfish (in collaboration with Rebecca Fox) and the other looking at toxicity and warning colouration in Eucalypt beetles (in collaboration with Iliana Medina). In 2019 Elroy did honours with Sasha Mikheyev (ANU) |
Alan Vincent (Honours student co-supervised with Micheal Jennions)
In 2018 Alan received a first class for his honours thesis looking at the effects water availability on sexual conflict in seed beetles. After his honours he worked for a few years as an environmental consultant in Canberra. He is now back at ANU doing his PhD with Marcel Cardillo. |
Lauren Harrison (Masters student co-supervised with Michael Jennions)
Lauren completed her Masters project looking at the Winner-Loser effect in mosquitofish at the end of 2017. This work was published in Biology Letters (see paper #54 on the publications page). Lauren is now conducting a PhD with Michael Jennions. |
Jigisha (International exchange research student)
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