Dr. Ali Chauvenet

Originally from France, I did a BSc (Hons) in Ecology at the University of Queensland, followed by an MSc in Conservation Science and PhD in Ecology at Imperial College London, in the UK. After completing my PhD in 2012, I worked for the British government as an ecological modeller. In 2014, I returned to Australia to do a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Queensland. I moved to Griffith University as a new lecturer in June 2018. My research aims to help protect species from extinction by designing tools to help managers make the best decision for species and ecosystems, in Australia and around the world. I use a combination of ecology, mathematics and computer simulations to weigh the costs and benefits of different conservation actions and make recommendations. For example, I am interested in nature reserves, such as national parks, as a conservation tool. I ask: are we protecting the right habitats? How much more area should we protect? Where should we create a national park next? I work to answer these questions and more, under the knowledge that funding for conservation is limited and with the ultimate aim of protecting as much biodiversity as possible.