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Research projects

Long term ecosystem forecasting

​Project leader: Dist Prof Belinda Medlyn

Funding period: 2025-2027
To project

PhD Project

​PhD Project: PhD Candidate Sienna Grady

​Primary supervisor: Prof Justin Welbergen

Funding period: 2023-2025
To project

Fires in drying forests: How do plant hydraulic traits influence fuel moisture and flammability?

​PhD Project: PhD Candidate William McNeice

​Supervisors: Assoc Prof Rachael Nolan (main), Dr Anne Griebel, Prof Brendan Choat, Prof Matthias Boer.

Funding period: 2021-2025
To project

Tree mortality and forest recovery following unprecedented drought and bushfires

​PhD Project: PhD Candidate Simin Rahmani

​Primary supervisor: Assoc Prof Rachael Nolan

Funding Body: A Hermon Slade grant, a WSU PhD scholarship and a scholarship from The International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF)

Funding period: 2021-2025
To project

Physics-aware machine learning for data-driven fire risk prediction

Project leader, researchers and collaborators: Prof Matthias Boer (Lead), Dr Grant Williamson (UTAS), Assoc Prof Rachael Nolan, Prof Paul Hurley, Prof David Bowman (UTAS) and Em Prof Ross Bradstock

Partner/Funding Body: Australian Research Council Discovery Program

Funding period: 2022-2024 ongoing

To project

The influence of climate change on bushfire fuels in Victoria

Project leaders, researchers and collaborators: Prof Matthias Boer (Lead); Dr Mingkai Jiang (co-lead), Prof Ben Smith, Assoc Prof Rachael Nolan, Dist Prof Belinda Medlyn, Dr Assaf Inbar, Assoc Prof Owen Price (UoW), Em Prof Ross Bradstock

Partner/Funding Body: Country Fire Authority


Funding period: 2021-2024
Project completed

To project

Improving conservation management outcomes for flying-foxes (Pteropus spp.)​

Project leaders, researchers and collaborators: Assoc Prof Justin Welbergen, Dr Jessica Meade, Dr Christopher Turbill, Prof Matthias Boer, Prof John Martin

Partner/Funding Body: Regional Bushfire Recovery for Multiregional Species and Strategic Projects Program

Funding period: 2021-2023
Project completed


To project

Forecasting live fuel moisture content, the on/off switch for forest fire

Project leaders, researchers and collaborators: Assoc Prof Rachael Nolan (Lead), Assoc Prof Marta Yebra (co-lead, ANU); Prof Matthias Boer, Prof Albert Van Dijk (ANU), Prof Brendan Choat, Dist Prof Belinda Medlyn, Prof Víctor Resco de Dios (Lleida), Prof Luigi Renzullo (ANU)

Partner/Funding Body: Australian Research Council Linkage

Funding period: 2020-2023 ongoing
To project

Impacts of drought stress on bushfire risk


Project leader, researchers and collaborators: Assoc Prof Rachael Nolan (Lead), Dr Chris Gordon, Prof Matthias Boer, Dist Prof Belinda Medlyn, Prof Brendan Choat and Dr Anne Griebel

Partner/Funding Body: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources and RedEye Consulting

Funding period: 2021-2022
Project completed

To project

Burning for a healthy future: people and their environment

Project leaders, researchers and collaborators: Em Prof Ross Bradstock (Lead, UoW), Prof Matthias Boer, Prof David Bowman (UTAS), Prof David Keith (UNSW), Prof Brendan Choat, Dist Prof Belinda Medlyn, Prof Mark Tjoelker, Prof Elise Pendall

Partner/Funding Body: NSW Government, Department of Environment and Heritage, Founding partner of NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub

Funding period: 2018-2022
Project completed
To project

The impacts of extreme temperature events on Australian flying-foxes: examining heat-related wildlife die-offs in a warming world

​Project leader, researchers and collaborators: Assoc Prof Justin A. Welbergen, Co-investigators: Dr Christopher Turbill, Dr Jessica Meade, Prof John Martin, Dr Michael Kearney

Funding Body: The Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment; various

Funding period: Ongoing
To project

Bushfire Recovery in Endangered Sclerophyll Woodlands

Project leaders, researchers and collaborators: Prof Elise Pendall (Lead), Prof Matthias Boer, Dr Yolima Carrillo, Steve Chapple, Tony Gray, Dr Alison Hewitt, GIS manager Inna Ljungblom, Prof Jason Middleton, Peter Mobbs, Peter Mumford, Vera Odonovan, Peter Ridgeway, Dr Paul Rymer, M Sherring, Greg Steenbeeke, Stephen Wright

Partner/Funding Body: Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Program, Department of Agriculture Water and Environment

Funding period: 2020-2021
Project completed
To project

National prioritisation of Australian plants affected by the 2019-2020 bushfire season

Project leaders, researchers and collaborators: Assoc Prof Rachael Gallagher et al

Funding period: 2020
Project completed


To project

From hectares to tailor-made solutions for risk mitigation: systems to deliver effective prescribed burning across Australian ecosystems

Project leaders, researchers and collaborators: Prof Matthias Boer (Lead), Em Prof Ross Bradstock (UoW),Prof Trent Penman (UMelb), Assoc Prof Owen Price (UoW) and Dr Hamish Clarke (UoW)

Partner/Funding Body: Bushfire & Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre

Funding period: 2015-2018
Project completed
To project

When fire and water mix: do carbon dioxide-related water savings drive woody plant thickening and fire dynamics in a grassy woodland?

Project leaders, researchers and collaborators: Prof Matthias Boer (Lead), Prof David Ellsworth, Prof Victor Resco de Dios and Emeritus Prof Ross Bradstock

Partner/Funding Body: Australian Research Council Discovery

Funding period: 2013-2016
Project completed
To project

Fire history and environmental drivers influence vegetation structure derived from space-borne LiDAR

PhD Project: PhD Candidate Kathryn Fuller

Supervisors: Prof Matthias Boer (primary), Assoc Prof Rachel Nolan, Dr Mike Aspinwall (international)

Funding period: 2020-2023
Project completed


To project

Ecological drivers of eucalypt bark type distributions in south-east Australian forests and woodlands

PhD Project: PhD Candidate Kathryn Fuller

Supervisors: Prof Matthias Boer (primary), Assoc Prof Rachel Nolan, Dr Mike Aspinwall (international)

Partner/Funding Body: NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub

Funding period: 2020-2023
Project completed


To project

2009 Black Saturday and other large fire events

Project leaders, researchers and collaborators: Prof Matthias Boer (Lead), Prof Víctor Resco De Dios, Em Prof Ross Bradstock and GIS manager Dr Gabriele Caccamo

Partner/Funding Body: Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre

Funding period: 2012-2014
Project completed


Student projects

Impacts of Australia's recent megafires on the grey-headed flying-fox

Candidate project: PhD Candidate Sienna Grady

Supervisors: Assoc Prof Justin A. Welbergen (primary), Prof Matthias Boer, Dr Jessica Meade



Project period: 2021 - 2022 Project completed
To project

Biogeography of eucalypt bark types in south-eastern Australia

Candidate project: PhD Candidate Kathryn Fuller

Supervisors: Prof Matthias Boer, Assoc Prof Rachael Nolan, Dr Mike Aspinwall, Assoc Prof Kim Calders

Funding body: Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub

Project period: 2019 - 2023
Project completed
To project

Collaborating and funding agencies