People

Dr Annabel Smith, lab leader
Senior Lecturer
School of Environment
University of Queensland

EDUCATION
2008 – 2012 PhD in Ecology, Australian National University
2006 BSc in Biodiversity Conservation Honours, Flinders University
2003 – 2005 BSc in Biodiversity Conservation Flinders University

CURRICULUM VITAE

2026 – current Senior Lecturer, University of Queensland
2019 – 2025 Lecturer, University of Queensland
2018 – 2019 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin
2016 – 2017 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin
2015 – 2016 Post-doctoral Research Assistant, University of Melbourne
2015 – 2016 Self-employed Consultant Ecologist, Canberra
2012 – 2014 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Australian National University

EDITORIAL
2026 – current Subject-matter Editor, Ecology
2026 – current Editorial Board Member, Journal of Pyrogeography
2023 – 2025 Associate Editor, Wildlife Letters
2018 – 2022 Associate Editor, Journal of Applied Ecology

The Group

My research group studies fire ecology and conservation biology. Currently, we are working on:

Impact of changing fire regimes on plant-animal interactions
Restoration of native grassland biodiversity
Managing interactions between changing fire regimes and invasive plants
Biodiversity in agricultural landscapes

We have a special interest in plants and animals living in fire-prone areas because of the fascinating fact that these ecosystems are never static but continually re-shaped by cycles of fire and regeneration.

While being grounded in fundamental biology and ecological theory, our research is always aimed at improving knowledge for biodiversity conservation. Our work has applications in fire management, biological invasion and threatened species conservation.

Our technical expertise includes (but is not limited to):

POPULATION GENETICS | SPATIAL LANDSCAPE GENETICS | DEMOGRAPHIC SIMULATION MODELLING | STATISTICAL MODELLING OF POPULATIONS & COMMUNITIES | BIOINFORMATICS | SPATIAL ANALYSIS IN R |

We also know how to drop a hand-made 1 x 1 m polypipe quadrat on the ground and do good old-fashioned field work.

Current Students

2022 – Rhiannon Bird, PhD Candidate, invertebrates as ecosystem service providers in agricultural landscapes

Postdoctoral Research Assistants

2025 – Dr Felicity Charles, fire management & wildlife conservation
2022 – Dr Isobel Roberts, habitat restoration for native grassland conservation

Group members co-advised

2024 - Rani Davis, PhD Candidate, bats in agricultural landscapes (primary advisor Dr April Reside)
2024 - Lauren Flohr, PhD Candidate, managing threatened flying fox food resources (primary advisor Dr April Reside)
2024 - Nadia Chinn, PhD Candidate QUT, supporting Indigenous fire management (primary advisor Prof. Jennifer Firn)

Lab Alumni ---

PhD students
2021 – 2025 Dr Felicity Charles, PhD, influence of fire regimes on plant-animal interactions
2018 – 2023 Dr Tamielle Brunt, PhD, platypus distribution & conservation

Postdocs
2023 – 2025 Dr Loren Fardell, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (primary advisor Dr April Reside)

Honours / masters students

2025 Brooke Allison, Masters, flammability traits in native and non-native plant species
2025 David Soulema, Masters, simulating impacts of fire regimes on genetic diversity in plant populations
2024 Karishma Menon, Honours, effect of fire on plant functional trait groups
2024 Ella Speedie, Honours, fire & genetic diversity
2024 Charley Rayner, Honours, platypus conservation in urban streams
2023 Caitlin Gaskell, Honours, resilience of soil seedbanks to low-intensity burning
2023 Joan Zwar, Masters, impact of low intensity burning on animal activity
2023 Kataryna McMillan, Masters, vegetation determinants of platypus distribution
2023 Amber Lim, Masters, the influence of fire on rare reptiles
2023 Eleanor McCall, Masters, importance of language and culture in Indigenous land management

2021 Rhiannon Bird, Honours, fire severity impacts on native animals
2021 Martha Victoria Jimenez Sandoval, Masters, fire severity impacts on rainforest vegetation
2020 Felicity Charles, Honours, wildlife corridors
2020 Kellie Schuring, Honours, lead toxicity in kangaroos
2020 Binyin Di, Winter Research Scholarship, genomic diversity in invasive plants
2020 Martha Victoria Jimenez Sandoval, Winter Research Scholarship, invasive plants and fire regime feedbacks

Research Assistants

2025 – Mitchell Snow, Senior Research Assistant, fire management & plant ecology
2024 – Michael Tervo, Senior Research Assistant (Botany), fire management & plant ecology
2023 – Dr Gabrielle Lebbink, Senior Research Assistant (Botany), fire management & plant ecology
2023 – Louise McFarline, Research Assistant, fire management & plant ecology
2020 – 2021 Raagini Muddaiah Kanjithanda, Research Assistant, grassland restoration
2020 – Shania Watson, Research Assistant, wildfire & rainforest mammals

Volunteers

2026 – Francoise Broderick, Nicola Rzepka, Natalie Dale
2025 – Brooke Allison, Anna Jourdant, Harry Cooper, Tanya Jobling, Charley Rayner, David Soulema