Distinguished Professor Belinda Medlyn (Theme Leader - Ecosystem Function and Integration)
View Belinda's Researcher Profile
I have an Honours degree in Applied Mathematics from University of Adelaide. After graduating I went to work for a merchant bank and didn't take to it at all.
Then I heard a seminar by Hugh Possingham on mathematical ecology. As a keen outdoors type, I was fascinated by the idea that one could apply mathematics to the outdoors.
I went back to university and obtained a PhD in theoretical biology from University of NSW. I then spent four years as a post-doc in Europe, where I was privileged to work closely with a number of experimentalists who taught me how to interpret data.
On my return to Australia I married, had two children, and worked part-time for several years. I'm now full-time again and am enjoying leading a productive research group.
With collaborators around the world, beautiful forests to work in, and a number of challenging research problems to work on, I have never regretted leaving finance!
Please visit CAFE M - Climate and Forest Ecosystem Modelling Group (opens in new window)
Areas of research/teaching expertise
My research focuses on how plants, especially forests, respond to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate change. I work at the interface between experiments and models: my aim is to develop evidence-based models of how ecosystem productivity, water use and species composition will be affected by global change, and to do so I work closely with a number of experimental teams world-wide to test and improve ecosystem models.
Bushfire Research
Our research also includes the role of fire and its effects on global change. Please, see here (opens in new window)
for further details on our bushfire research.
Awards and Recognition
- University of Barcelona Honorary Doctoratedegree, 2024
- Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, 2023. Link to Australian Academy of Science 2023 New Fellows video, 'Challenges of studying a future in peril' | Prof Belinda Medlyn FAA
- Clarivate Highly Cited (HiCis) Researcher in the field of Plant and Animal Science - 2021-2023
- Australian National University College of Science, Research School of Biology, 2022 Ralph Slatyer Medal
- Clarivate Highly Cited (HiCis) Researcher in the field of Cross-Field - 2018-2020
- Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW, 2020
- Western Sydney University Excellence in Research (Researcher of the Year) Award, 2019
- Western Sydney University Distinguished Professor, 2019
- NSW Government, Australian Research Council ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship, Georgina Sweet Award, 2019
Grants / Current Projects
Rainforest growth analysis
Partner/Funding Body: NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (NSW DCEEW)
Period: 2025
Understanding the confluence of Eucalyptus dieback and koala habitat in NSW - Stage 1
Co-Researchers: Rachael Nolan, Brendan Choat, Ben Moore, Rachael Gallagher, Matthias Boer
Partner/Funding Body: NSW Department of Planning and Environment
Period: 2023-2024
Understanding the confluence of Eucalyptus dieback and koala habitat in NSW - literature review
Co-Researchers: Rachael Nolan, Brendan Choat, Ben Moore, Belinda Medlyn, Matthias Boer
Partner/Funding Body: NSW Department of Planning and Environment
Period: 2023-2024
The causes and consequences of plant biodiversity across scales in a rapidly changing world
Partner/Funding Body: National Science Foundation [via University of Minnesota]
Period: 2022
NSW Bushfire and Natural Hazards Research Centre
Co-researchers: Matthias Boer, Rachael Gallagher, Rachael Nolan, Ben Smith
Partner/funding body: NSW Department of Planning and Environment
Period: 2022-2026
NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub
Co-Researchers: Benjamin Smith, Brajesh and Mark Tjoelker
Partner/Funding Body: NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer/NSW Environmental Trust (via UNSW)
Period: 2022-2030
Predicting vegetation dynamics in Australia's arid zone
Co-Researchers: Rachael Nolan and Brendan Choat
Partner/Funding Body: Bush Heritage Australia and Arid Recovery
Period: 2022-2024
Lianas in a CO2-rich world
Co-Researchers: Matthias Boer and Rachael Gallagher
Partner/Funding Body: The Royal Society [via University of Nottingham]
Period: 2022
Impacts of drought stress on bushfire risk
Co-Researchers: Rachael Nolan, Matthias Boer, Brendan Choat and Anne Griebel
Partner/Funding Body: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources and RedEye Consulting
Period: 2021-2022
The Regreening of the Blue Mountains: Using Citizen Science to Study Post-Fire Recovery in the Blue Mountains
Partner/Funding Body: NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Period: 2021-2022
Determining the physiological underpinnings of eucalypt dieback in NSW
Co-Researchers: Brendan Choat, Matthias Boer, Sebastian Pfautsch, Rachael Nolan, David Tissue, Paul Rymer and Mark Tjoelker
Partner/Funding Body: NSW Environmental Trust
Period: 2021-2024
The influence of climate change on bushfire fuels in Victoria
Co-Researchers: Mingkai Jiang, Ben Smith, Rachael Nolan, Matthias Boer and Assaf Inbar
Partner/Funding Body: Country Fire Authority
Period: 2021-2024
Tumbarumba flux tower consultancy
Co-Researchers: Ben Smith
Partner/Funding Body: Mullion Group
Period: 2020
Quantifying forest mortality after record-breaking drought and unprecedented wildfire in Eastern Australia
Co-Researchers: Rachael Nolan, Brendan Choat, Matthias Boer and Anne Griebel
Partner/Funding Body: Hermon Slade Foundation
Period: 2020-2022
Report on the impact of drought on tree health and consequences for storm damage
Co-Researcher: Brendan Choat
Partner/Funding Body: AUSGRID
Period: 2020
Forecasting live fuel moisture content, the on/off switch for forest fire
Co-Researchers: Rachael Nolan, Matthias Boer and Brendan Choat
Partner/Funding Body: Australian Research Council Linkage grant
Period: 2020-2023
A unified dynamic vegetation model for Australia
Partner/Funding Body: Australian Research Council – Georgina Sweet Laureate Fellowship
Period: 2020-2024
Quantifying adaptive capacity to climate change through a multi-faceted approach: habitat suitability, functional traits, physiological tolerance and genetic adaptation
Co-Researchers: Paul Rymer, David Tissue and Brendan Choat (Beaumont, Gallagher, Rossetto, Bragg, Tierney, Auld, Denham, Tozer)
Partner/Funding Body: NSW Office of Environment and Heritage
Period: 2018-2021
Burning for a healthy future: people and their environment. Founding partner of NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub
Co-Researchers: Brendan Choat, Matthias Boer, Mark Tjoelker, Elise Pendall, Ross Bradstock, David Bowman, David Keith (Clarke, Dosseto, Johnston, Jenkins, Nolan, Price, Murphy, Ooi, Whittaker, Williamson)
Partner/Funding Body: NSW Department of Environment and Heritage
Period: 2018-2022
Brown is the new green: grassland responses to drought and heat
Co-Researchers: Sally Power, David Tissue and Elise Pendall
Partner/Funding Body: Australian Research Council Discovery
Period: 2018-2020
To grow or to store: Do plants hedge their bets?Co-Researcher: Remko Duursma
Partner/Funding Body: Australian Research Council Discovery
Period: 2016-2018
Identifying regions of high drought mortality risk for tree species in NSW
Co-Researchers: David Tissue, Mark Tjoelker, Paul Rymer and Remko Duursma
Partner/Funding Body: Australian Research Council Discovery
Period: 2015-2017
Accurate and early yield predictions through advanced statistical modelling
Co-Researchers: van Sluyter
Partner/Funding Body: Grapes and Wine Research and Development Corporation
Period: 2014-2017
Modeling to accompany stakeholders towards adaptation of forestry and agroforestry systems to climate changes
Co-Researchers: Roupsard, Laclau, Nouvellon, Le Maire, Rapidel, Subervia, Loustau, Bosc, Trichet, Domec, Avelino, Duursma, Imbach, Maris, Garcia, Barrichelo
Partner/Funding Body: Agence Nationale de la Recherche (France)
Period: 2014-2017
Building better climate change vegetation models: How do leaves allocate nitrogen among photosynthesis and stress proteins in future climate scenarios?Co-Researchers: Westoby, Haynes, Tissue, Wang
Partner/Funding Body: Australian Government – Science and Industry Endowment Fund
Period: 2013-2014
Model-Data Synthesis of Terrestrial Responses to Elevated CO2Partner/Funding Body: US Department of Energy
Period: 2013-2014
Trading water for carbon: a synthesis of plant water-use efficiency from leaf to globe
Co-Researchers: Colin Prentice, Remko Duursma and Almut Arneth
Partner/Funding Body: Australian Research Council Discovery
Period: 2012-2014
People
- Professor Matthias Boer
- Associate Professor Yolima Carrillo
- Associate Professor Chris Cazzonelli
- Professor Brendan Choat
- Professor James Cook (Theme Leader - Plants Animals and Interactions)
- Doctor Eleonora Egidi
- Professor David Ellsworth
- Doctor Manuel Esperon
- Doctor Adam Frew
- Associate Professor Rachael Gallagher
- Professor Oula Ghannoum
- Doctor Christopher Gordon
- Professor Scott Johnson
- Associate Professor Catriona Macdonald
- Doctor James Makinson
- Doctor Jessica Meade
- Distinguished Professor Belinda Medlyn (Theme Leader - Ecosystem Function and Integration)
- Associate Professor Ben Moore
- Professor Uffe Nielsen (Theme Leader - Soil Biology and Genomics)
- Associate Professor Rachael Nolan
- Associate Professor Alexie Papanicolaou
- Professor Elise Pendall
- Associate Professor Jonathan Plett
- Professor Jeff Powell
- Professor Sally Power
- Doctor Renée Marchin Prokopavicius
- Professor Markus Riegler
- Associate Professor Paul Rymer
- Doctor Demi Sargent
- Associate Professor Robert Sharwood
- Distinguished Professor Brajesh Singh
- Professor Ben Smith (Director of Research)
- Distinguished Professor David Tissue
- Professor Mark Tjoelker (Interim Director)
- Doctor Bin Wang
- Doctor Jun-Tao Wang
- Professor Justin Welbergen
- Distinguished Professor Ian Wright (Chief Scientist)
Honorary and Adjunct Appointments
