1. HIE Home
  2. People
  3. Postgraduate Students

Postgraduate Students

The Institute's higher degree research students are actively engaged in projects relevant to the current research agenda within Australia and overseas. Our cohort gain valuable experience from research-active academic staff, while contributing fresh ideas and knowledge to their chosen field.

Current Students

Please note: Students with active web site links have successfully completed their Confirmation of Candidature milestone.

  • Ms Sarah Addison - Thesis title - Tree-Root Microbiome Project: At The Root of Climate Proofing Forests
  • Mr Aqeel Ahmad - Thesis title - Synergistic effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Phosphorus Solubilizing Bacteria on Soil Organic Carbon Formation and Mineralization Rate in Rhizosphere and Hyphosphere
  • Mr Chaminda Alahakoon - Thesis title - Effect of Elevated Temperatures and Drought Stress on Seed Germination and Functional Traits of Seedlings in the Cumberland Plain
  • Mr Riyadh Al-Naseri - Thesis title - Modelling Australia's vegetation within an operational land surface model
  • Ms Riesma Andiani - Thesis title - Understanding the Capability of Genetic Modification Technology to Rescue Citrus Industry from Huanglongbing Pathogen
  • Ms Nuwanthi Arampola - Thesis title - Identifying Drivers and Mechanisms of Climate-related Tree Mortality
  • Ms Mishal Bano - Thesis title - Response of cotton cultivars to water deficit and changes to vapour pressure deficit
  • Ms Alice Barratt - Thesis title - Thermal Physiology, Behaviour and Energetics of Australian Birds
  • Ms Tasnim Bhuiyan - Thesis title - Mechanisms of Heat Stress Tolerance in the C4 crop Sorghum
  • Mr Farzad Bidari - Thesis title - Pupation Biology and Ecology of Queensland Fruit Fly
  • Mr Avijit Biswas - Thesis title - Linking Mechanical Stress to Bioactive Carotenoid Signals that Prime Insect Resistance in Crops
  • Mr Dylan Bristol - Thesis title - Enhanced ecosystem functioning of threatened ecological communities of the Cumberland Plains
  • Mr Husnain Butt - Thesis title - The Regulation of Biosynthesis of Apocarotenoids that Promote Mycorrhizal Interactions with Tomato
  • Mr Erick Calderon-Morales - Thesis title - Understanding the Survival of Forests Under Extreme Drought
  • Ms Jyotsana Chauhan - Thesis title - Investigating the potential of blue-banded bees as managed crop pollinators
  • Mr Matt Chaumont - Thesis title - Cultural evolution in lyrebirds
  • Mr Chick Chilby - Thesis title - Understanding the habitat characteristics that influence honeyeater abundance and aggression in urban ecosystems
  • Ms Anne-Cecile Colin - Thesis title - Exploring the evolutionary history of drought response in Eucalyptus species (Boxes/Ironbarks and Redgums) with genomic, environmental and phenotypic data
  • Ms Isobel Colson - Thesis title - Saving Our Species: A Genetic Biobank for Threatened Waxcaps (Hygrocybe)
  • Mr Ericson Coracero - Thesis title - The role of rewilding in restoration: soil microbial diversity and ecological functions
  • Mr Claudio Cortellazzi - Thesis title - Food and Fibre Under Changing Climate Conditions: A Focus on Cotton and Capsicum
  • Ms Caitlin Dagg - Thesis title - Resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem function in relation to vegetation structure in remnant vegetation
  • Mr Arindam Deb - Thesis title - Building climate-adapted rice by investigating abiotic stress tolerance traits from endemic Oryza relatives
  • Ms Jay Delves - Thesis title -  Mycorrhizal Adaptations to Aridity and Drought in Australian Environments
  • Ms Marie-Emma Denarie - Thesis title - Will silicon be an effective plant defence against pests / pathogens under future climates?
  • Ms Sushmita Dhakal - Thesis title - How do Australian Native Plants stay Productive under Phosphorus-limited soils?
  • Mr Sonam Dhargay - Thesis title - The Future of Australian Vegetation: Developing a Dynamic Vegetation Model for Australia
  • Ms Jasmine Divinagracia - Thesis title - Directed evolution of PEPC carboxylase to improve C4 photosynthesis
  • Ms Garima Dubey - Thesis title -  Synthetic Biology Approaches to Improve Cotton Productivity
  • Ms Mirritya Ebsworth - Thesis title - The cultural significance of key species and kinship relationships of Wangkumara people
  • Ms Zahra Emlaei - Thesis title - Priority sites for conservation in Cumberland based on resilience and ecosystem services
  • Ms Sarah Fletcher - Thesis title -  Boosting C4 Photosynthesis to Climate Proof Crop Yields
  • Mrs Kathryn Fuller - Thesis title - The Biogeography of Fire: Mapping Key Fuel Types Across NSW
  • Mr Pablo Damian Gaona Cifuentes - Thesis title - Support from down under: Fostering sustainable forestry through soil microbiome management
  • Ms  Sienna Grady - Thesis title - Sub-continental mapping and forecasting of nectar availability for the grey-headed flying-fox
  • Ms Lea Hannah - Thesis title - Insect Pollination of Almonds
  • Mr Happy - Thesis title -  Floral traits and environmental factors that affect mechanical-induced pollination, fruit development, yield and nutritional qualities in Tomato
  • Ms Mahnoor Hayat  - Thesis title - Impact of Biological Amendments on Microbial Diversity and Soil and Plant Health
  • Ms Meike Heuck - Thesis title - Linking Land Management and Climate Change Impacts on Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Diversity and Plant Growth
  • Mr Akhter Hossain - Thesis title -  Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function Relationships
  • Ms Nodoka Izumi - Thesis title - Leaf and Wood Physiology and Biomass Allocation as Drivers of Plant Growth
  • Mr Eranda Namal Jayasuriya - Thesis title - Develop crop-based sensors for real-time monitoring and control under protected cropping
  • Mr Antony Kamini - Thesis title - Genomics approaches and molecular markers development for improving Phytophthora root rot (PRR) resistance among Chickpea genotypes
  • Ms Ramalka Kasige - Thesis title - Build a Better Plant: Using Silicon to Augment Crop Defence Against Australia’s Newest Pest
  • Mr Mohammad Kibria - Thesis title - Testing urban tree performance under drier and hotter climates of the future
  • Ms Isabelle Kite - Thesis title - Pasture Nutrition and Associated Greenhouse Gas Emissions Potential Under Climate Extremes
  • Mr Ivan Kotzur - Thesis title - Understanding and mapping how thermal and dietary constraints combine to restrict koala habitat and determine refugia
  • Ms Swathy Kumar - Thesis title -  Influence of planting density and irrigation on crop performance of sorghum varieties
  • Ms Nor Azizah Kusai - Thesis title - Soil Microbial Mechanisms Regulating Gas Fluxes with Climate Change
  • Ms Bree-Anne Laugier - Thesis title - Pushing the Envelope: Does Range Size Limit Eucalypt Tolerance to Warming?
  • Ms Jiayu Li - Thesis title - Plant and Soil Microbiome Interactions
  • Mr Xuqing Li - Thesis title - The story of silicon in geo-biochemistry: how does it affect litter decomposition?
  • Mr Josh Lee - Thesis title -  Integrating Functional Diversity into Conservation Stewardship Programs
  • Mr Sunny Maanju - Thesis title - Entopmopathogenic nematodes as biological control agents against honey bee pests
  • Mr Solomon Maerowitz-McMahan - Thesis title - From Ashes to Insights: Mycorrhizal Fungi Role in Post-Fire Landscapes
  • Mr Premchand Maisnam - Thesis title - Drought impacts on microbial assemblage structure and functional attributes
  • Mr William McNeice - Thesis title - Biogeography of Plant Traits that Govern Bushfire Risk and Drought Vulnerability
  • Ms Anu Middha - Thesis title -  Anatomy and Physiology of the Leaf Cuticle – The Crucial Barrier to Desiccation
  • Mr Aaron Midson - Thesis title - Modelling climate-related snow gum dieback, management and recovery
  • Mr Ram Mohan - Thesis title - A Cross-continental Comparison of Drivers of Flying-fox Urbanisation
  • Mr Jwalit Nayak - Thesis title - A Carotenoid-derived Metabolite Regulates RNA Structure and Carotenoid Gene Expression Controlling Pro-vitamin A Accumulation in Crops
  • Ms Neelima - Thesis title - The interaction of P availability and CO2 enrichment on tree physiology and growth in a Eucalyptus tereticornis forest
  • Mr Ephrem Ngendahimana - Thesis title - Understanding Mechanisms Underpinning Climate Resilience in Managed Pasture Systems
  • Ms Ellie Nichols - Thesis title - Determining the Physiological Underpinnings of Eucalypt Dieback in NSW
  • Ms Farzana Nowrin - Thesis title - Unravelling the interactions between silicon and conventional fertilisers on rice plant growth and herbivore susceptibility
  • Ms Efenaide Okoh - Thesis title - Boosting Diagnostics for Plant Production Industries using: Xanthomonas as a model organisms for increasing bacterial diagnostic capacity
  • Mr Lucky Paudel - Thesis title - National Tree Genomics - Functional genotype predicition for horticulture
  • Mr Prashant Paudel - Thesis title - Improved Modelling of plant competition through traits
  • Mr Kedharnath Pengani - Thesis title -  Soil Biotic Interaction and their Roles in Nutrient Transformations of Agricultural Soil
  • Ms Victoria Perez - Thesis title - Can we explain Eucalyptus drought vulnerability from climate-origin, life history and functional traits?
  • Ms Mahfuza Pervin - Thesis title - Deciphering how mechanical stress can prime plant defence mechanisms and train a hardier crop plant
  • Ms Caroline Ponsonby - Thesis Title - Flies as Crop Pollinators
  • Mr Sanjay Pradhan - Thesis title -  Gene editing and virome studies for potential applications in the control of tephritid fruit flies
  • Ms Simin Rahmani - Thesis title - Tree mortality and forest recovery following unprecedented drought and bushfires
  • Mr Hasan Raihan - Thesis title - Endorsed thesis title is: Plant physiological and biochemical responses of crops to light-blocking and light-altering films
  • Ms Kumari Rajapaksha - Thesis title - Searching for Meaningful Belowground Indicators of Heath in Threatened Ecological Communities
  • Mr Kalana Ranasinghe  - Thesis title - Automated Crop Monitoring for Protected Cropping systems
  • Mr Ganesh Madakaripura Rangaswamy - Thesis title - Maximising disease suppression: Scaling up biocontrol strategies for bacterial pathogens
  • Ms Shamiza Rani - Thesis title - Deciphering disease resistance in citrus trees through computational and molecular genomics
  • Ms Aastha Ranjan - Thesis title - Biologically informed control of gummy stem blight in glasshouse cucurbits
  • Ms Paola Raupp - Thesis title - Barriers to Success in Ecological Restoration: Soil Health Promoting Ecosystem Function and Resilience
  • Mr Sajjad Reyhani Haghighi - Thesis title - The Interactive Effect of Climatic Events on Si-based Defence Against Herbivory
  • Mr Alejandro Rios Villamil - Thesis title - Diet Sexual Conflict and the Evolution of Lifespan in the Sexes
  • Ms Katie Rolls - Thesis title - Local adaptation and species distribution limits along climatic gradients
  • Mr Rogelio Rosales García - Thesis title - Foraging behaviour and behavioural rhythms in blue-banded bees
  • Mr Giles Ross - Thesis title - Phylogeographic Analysis of Antarctic Soil Invertebrates
  • Ms Erin Rogers - Thesis title - Plasicity in photosynthesis, leaf chemistry and structure, and growth in native Australian species across P gradients
  • Ms Rhiannon Rowe - Thesis title - Can silicon supplementation relieve salinity stress and herbivory simultaneously?
  • Mrs Amy Rowles - Thesis title - Seasonal Migration of Australian Tree Roosting Microbats
  • Ms Sunayana Sajith - Thesis title - Interdisciplinary studies on the uptake of new approaches to crop pollination
  • Mr Shahasad Salam - Thesis title - Role of Sugar Sensing in Regulating C4 Photosynthesis
  • Ms Aaranya Sekaran - Thesis title - Predicting Vegetation Dynamics in Australia's Arid Zone
  • Ms Sindhu Sheoran - Thesis title - Effects of Landscape Scale Floristic Diversity on Pollinator Performance and Crop Pollination Efficiency
  • Ms Romika  Shrestha - Thesis title - Microbiome Management: Using Myco-centric Advances to Boost Sustainability of Pine Forestry
  • Mr Davide Siclari - Thesis title - Which Plants Use Transpiration to Survive Heatwaves
  • Mr Charan Singh - Thesis title - Influence of Plant Microbiome on Rhizospheric Biochemistry Under Drought Conditions of Wheat Crop
  • Mr Gaurav Singh - Thesis title - Stingless Bees as Crop Pollinators
  • Mr Pankaj Singh - Thesis title - Plant and Soil Microbiome Interactions
  • Ms Amy Smart - Thesis title - Sensitivity of Gondwanan Rainforest recovery to drought and fire
  • Ms Hannah Smart - Thesis title - Evolution of Dynamic Anti-predator Behaviour of Insects
  • Ms Dhruthi Somesh - Thesis title - Harnessing Microbes to Boost Drought Tolerance in Grasses
  • Ms Dharini Sudha Venkatesh - Thesis title - Study of Pollination Efficiency of Native Stingless Bees on Mango Cultivars and the Impact of Climate Change on Phenology of Mango Cultivars and Distribution of Stingless Bees in India and Australia
  • Ms Mekala Srinivasan Manivannan - Thesis title - Functional Genetics in Horticulture Using Viral Induced Gene Regulation
  • Mr Matthew Stanton - Thesis title - The Influence of Weather on the Diet, Behaviour and Physiology of the Marsupial Arboreal Folivore, the Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
  • Mr Jerzy Szejgis - Thesis title - Causes and consequences of biogeochemical mismatches during drought
  • Mr Pankaj Tiwari - Thesis title - Understanding microbial-mediated soil CO2 and CH4 fluxes and their response to climate change in a grassland ecosystem
  • Mr Amir Tourani - Thesis title -  Reproductive Manipulations and Population Dynamics of Endosymbionts in Haplodiploid Thrips and Their Application in Pest Management
  • Mr Emmanuel Ugwu - Thesis Title  - Prioritisation of sites through shared social, cultural and conservation values
  • Mx Cloud Vacca - Thesis title -  Developing Novel Technologies to Bolster Plant Resistance to Fungal Pathogens
  • Mr Venkatesh Vemulapati - Thesis title - The role of rewilding in restoration: invertebrate biodiversity and ecological functions
  • Ms Lulu Wang - Thesis title - Function of silicon transporters in wheat in response to drought and herbivory
  • Ms Klaske van Wijngaarden - Thesis title - From branch to forest to globe: how do tree choices regarding growth change forest response to elevated CO2?
  • Mr Tomas Villada Cadavid - Thesis title -  Winter hibernation biology of cave-roosting bats in south-eastern Australia: predicting their vulnerability to a fungal disease
  • Ms Natascha Weinberger - Thesis title - Friends with benefits, or a reluctant threesome? Plant-microbial partnerships and their effects on crop pathogens
  • Mr Jiahao Wen - Thesis title - Adaptations to Temperature and Water Stress in Australian Trees and Crop Wild Relatives
  • Ms Samantha Yabsley - Thesis title -  The impacts of extreme heat events on Australian flying-foxes
  • Mr Niraj Yadav - Thesis title - Liquid Gold – Understanding Plant and Soil Interactions with Nutrients in a Circular Economy
  • Mr Kai Zhao - Thesis title - Automated crop monitoring for protected cropping systems
  • Ms Min Zhao - Thesis title - Assessing Eucalyptus forest responses to rising CO2 and climate change

Graduates (opens in a new window)

Eucalyptus Leaf