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- Research
- Current funding
- Student supervision
- Links of particular interest to Women Biologists
- Other important biology web connections
- Perhaps not-so-important web connections
- Contact details
Research
My research area is ecology and evolution. Most recently I used manipulative experiments to examine the behavioural ecology of predator-prey interactions, interference competition, and life-history strategies. However, I have a long-standing interest in landscape ecology, and conservation biology. My current research strikes a balance between these interests: I am using a manipulative outdoor experiment to examine the consequences of environmental disturbance (invasion by weed plants) for animal behaviour and life history traits. Through collaborations and student supervision, I also continue to research the ecology and evolution of anti-predator behaviour and social aggression. Specific research topics, and my contributions to these areas and selected publications, can be found by clicking the links below.
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Current ARC and ANU internal funding
- 2002, Australian National University Faculties Research Grant Scheme (A$10,000)
- 2001-03, Australian Research Council Large Grant (A$120,000)
Student supervision
Postdoctoral Fellows at the ANU can co-supervise honours students
with another member of academic staff. I am interested in co-supervising
projects on behavioural ecology or conservation biology. I am
open to the idea of students working on non-reptilian systems.
If you are keen, then come and talk to me about possible projects.
Several other members of staff examine behavioural ecology in
taxa other than reptiles. For more information check out the
BOZO
academic staff profiles.
Links of particular interest to Women Biologists
- For good academic advice
and interesting articles see:
- How women can get the most out of conferences
- Maximising professional development of women
- Gender differences in research productivity
- More rewards could boster retention of women scientists
- Distinguished Women Biologists of past and present
- Survival skills for graduate women
- For funding
opportunites see:
- American Association of University Women (AAUW)
- Association for Women in Science (AWIS)
- Australian Federation of University Women (AFUW)
- International Federation of University Women (IFUW)
- Sigma Delta Epsilon Graduate Women in Science (GWIS)
- Women's Funding Network
- Women's Philanthropy Institute
- The Global Fund for Women (to support women's rights groups)
- For other important web sites
see:
- Women in Science and Technology
- Women in Biology internet launch page **AWESOME**
- Network Exchange of Womens Services
Other important web connections
- Worldwide conference calander for Zoology
- Net mind notifies you when an important web page changes
- Automated Table of Contents email services
- Science Citation Index
- Biological Science Journals
- Journal Impact Factors
- Postdoc resources
- Ecology resources
- Graduate student resources compiled by Dr J. Scott Keogh
- Animal Behaviour resources compiled by the Nebraska Behavioural Biology group
- Evolution Directory email list maintained by Dr Brian Golding
- Research labs in the States studying ecology, evolution, behaviour and herpetology compiled by the Losos Lab
- The Oxford English Dictionary
- The HMS Beagle BioMed Magazine (news, humour, cartoons, and art)
- The best search engine around is Google
- AUSLIG: Australia's National Mapping Agency
- Bureau of Meterology
Perhaps not-so-important web connections
- Australian Skeptics homepage
- Take a butcher's hook at this page on Aussie rhyming slang
- Flatland by E A Abbott: stimulating bedtime reading about self knowledge
- Bill Lee's fabulous quotes page
- The purplest page on the web
- Perhaps the best web site on Michael Leunig's delicious cartoons
- Judy Horacek's cartoons concern feminism, the environment and social justice
- Support Canberra's local community radio 2XX by tuning to 98.3FM
- Everything in the shop Color me Purple is.. well, you guessed it, purple
- Check out the winners of the Darwin Awards
- A site devoted to the tv show, Happy Days
- The official site for the Coen brothers caper feature, The Big Lebowski.
- The site of the greatest fairytale never told: Shrek
- You can learn alot about life from Mr Men and Little Miss cartoon books
- Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" is an insightful fable about following your dreams
- Simes' Jonathan Richman pages has links to the best sites on the Ice-cream Man
- Keith Martin's A to Z of Belgium is a MUST READ for anyone who has lived in Belgium
- Get in touch with your lunar biorhythm by checking out the dates of the full moon
- An ecard is better than no card: 4 Ever Cards, Amazon Cards, Blue Mountains, e-cards
- Mmmmmmm. Cheezels
Contact details
Email: sharon.downes@anu.edu.au
Telephone: +61 2 6125 3078
Facsimile: +61 2 6125 5573