Professor Andrew Lowe

Professor Andrew Lowe
 Position Director, Environment Institute
 Org Unit Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
 Email andrew.lowe@adelaide.edu.au
 Telephone +61 8 8313 1149
 Location Floor/Room G05 ,  Benham ,   North Terrace
  • Biography/ Background

    Professor Andrew Lowe is a dynamic and innovative research leader with executive experience in university, government, start-up industry and community sectors. He is particularly skilled at identifying and realizing research opportunities and partnerships combining collaborative research expertise with external stakeholders. 

    Since 2015, Andrew has undertaken roles specialising in partnership building to deliver research outcomes. He is currently Director of the Environment Institute, one of the University of Adelaide’s six research Institutes with over 100 members. During his tenure he has led a culture-focused rebuilding of the institute to prioritise activity around key staff and strengths. Other roles include, Director of Agrifood and Wine (2017-2020), an institution-wide role that brought together expertise in research and teaching across Faculties, Institutes and Schools to coordinate and provide engagement with the food industry and government sectors across Australia and internationally. During this time Andrew also served as Science Director for the $121M Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre. He was the research lead for the bid and responsible for developing the research investment portfolio across 60 research and industry partners. He also served as Deputy Dean – Partnerships and Collaboration in the Faculty of Science (2015-2016), coordinating early and mid-career training and mentoring programs and building partnerships with external stakeholders. Since 2012, Andrew has held significant research infrastructure management positions. He led and negotiated the South Australian node of the NCRIS funded Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, served as Science Director and Board member. He is currently Director, NCRIS strategy, coordinating across the University’s significant NCRIS portfolio. 

    Andrew is a successful academic leader, and was made full professor in 2006, nine years after gaining his PhD in Plant Evolutionary Biology (1997) from the University of St Andrews, UK. He has helped secure over $250M of funding and has published over 250 scientific papers and books (including in Science, Nature PNAS), which have attracted >23,000 citations and an h index of 75. He has collaborated with over 300 researchers, from 100 institutes in 30 countries, and has directly supervised over 120 technical and postdoctoral staff, and graduate students (PhD, MSc Honours). 

    Experienced in commercializing research, Andrew is Chief Scientific Officer of Double Helix Tracking Technologies, a Bioknowledge start-up headquartered in Singapore that uses DNA tools to identify and help eliminate illegally logged timber from global supply chains. He has served on a broad range of international and national boards and committees, including: Lead author of the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessment on Land Degradation and Restoration; the United Nation’s Office of Drugs and Crime expert working group on timber tracking; review panel for the $200M New Zealand Natural Heritage strategic investment research program; the board of the Atlas of Living Australia, and has headed up and participated in international delegations; e.g. leading the University’s delegation at COP22 in Marrakech, and working with Australian Chief Scientist Ian Chubb and departmental officials to negotiate Australian partnership priorities for the EU funding program Horizon 2020.  He has also held executive positions in the government sector, including acting Director of the South Australian Museum (2013-2014), and Head of Science in the South Australian Department of Environment (2006-2012). 

    Andrew is passionate about communicating science and knowledge to a general audience and is an experienced media article writer and public presenter. He has presented at TedX and PechaKucha events, hosted panel discussions (WOMAD Planet Talks), runs blog sites (biodiversityrevolution and andylowe), hosts podcasts (Discovery Pod, EcoFuturists, FoodFuturists) and has served as Scientist in Residence for the Australian Financial Review (2019-2020) and the Advertiser (2018). He has published over 150 media articles and given over 250 public and scientific presentations.

    Awards

    • Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Australia Leader Award (2023, 2024)
    • One of top 60 global finalists for XPrize Carbon Removal Award 2025 - University of Adelaide in team with Seawater Greenhouse and University of Birmingham, UK.
    • Top 50 most influential people in the environment sector (2021) in SA.
    • Finalist (2020) Prime Super Agricultural Innovation Award, South Australian Community Achievement and Awards.
    • Awarded Bradshaw medal by the Society for Ecological Restoration (2017) for the paper “Urban habitat restoration provides a human health benefit through microbiome rewilding: The Microbiome Rewilding Hypothesis”.
    • Finalist for South Australian Research Collaboration Scientist of the Year (2016)
    • Executive Dean’s prize for distinguished researcher in the Faculty of Science, 2015
    • Executive Dean’s prize for mid-career researcher (within 15 years of PhD) in the Faculty of Science, 2010
    • Finalist for South Australian Scientist of the Year (in Research Collaboration category), 2010 

    Social media

    • Website: 
    • Blog: 
    • Blog: 
    • LinkedIn: Andrew Lowe
    • Twitter: profalowe

     

  • Qualifications

    Positions held: 

    Director, Environment Institute, University of Adelaide (2022 – Current)

    Director, NCRIS strategy, University of Adelaide (2021- 2023)

    Director of Agrifood and Wine – Industry Engagement Priority, University of Adelaide (2016-2020)

    Research Director, Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre (2017-2018)

    Director of Conservation Science and Technology, Environment Institute (2014-2016), and previously Director of the Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity (ACEBB, 2009-2014), the Environment Institute, University of Adelaide

    Principal Advisor: Biodiversity Research Partnerships (2014-2016), and previously Head of Science (2006-2012), Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources, South Australian Government 

    Acting Director, South Australian Museum (2013)

    Associate Science Director (2012-2016), and previously Facility Director for the National Scientific Reference Site Network and Ecoinformatics facilities, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN, 2009-2012) 

    Chief Scientific Officer, DoubleHelix Tracking Technologies, Singapore (2010-ongoing)

    Professor of Plant Conservation Biology, University of Adelaide, Australia (2006-ongoing)

    Lecturer in Plant Ecology at the University of Queensland (2003-2006)

    Senior Scientific Officer at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh (1998-2003)

    Postdoctoral Researcher at BBSRC Long Ashton, Bristol (1998)

    Postdoctoral Researcher at Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Edinburgh (1996-1997)

    International Consultant, International Livestock Research Institute, Kenya (1996)

    Field Science Officer for Society for Environmental Exploration, Tanzania (1991-1992)

    Education:
    PhD in Plant Evolutionary Genetics, St Andrews University (1992-1996);

    Bsc (Hons) in Applied Biology, Bath University (1987-1991)

  • Teaching Interests

    Directly supervised over 120 technical and postdoctoral staff, and graduate students (PhD, MSc Honours). 

    Im interested in taking on new honours and PhD students in the following areas:

    • Conservation and restoration genomics
    • Biodiverstiy monitoring and analysis
    • Timber tracking
    • Plant genetic resources
    • Ecosystem services and the vlaue of nautre   

  • Research Interests

    My main research focus is in plant ecological and evolutionary genetics:

    Gene flow and adaptation at landscape levels

    Even when individuals of a species survive in remnant habitat, small population sizes make them more susceptible to extinction due to stochastic events and decreased genetic diversity, which decreases resilience (Lowe et al 2005). Whilst changes in genetic diversity can take many generations to become manifest, immediate changes in gene flow dynamics, due to a changed matrix (e.g. remnant habitat isolated by urban or agricultural contexts), can have detrimental impacts on the fitness of the new generation in these new landscapes. Research in my lab has demonstrated this effect for plants (Breed et al 2013a; Ward et al 2005) and animals (Pavlacky et al 2012; 2010), and in Australian (Breed 2012a, b; Breed et al 2011), European (Bacles et al 2006, 2005) and tropical systems (Davies et al 2013; Breed 2012c; Davies et al 2010).

    Current work is focusing on integrating landscape genetic and adaptation measures into conservation and restoration management and policy frameworks. By locating genetic refugia, quantifying landscape level gene flow and assessing the strength of local adaptation, new principles for corridor and restoration planning have been developed (Broadhurst et al 2008, Sgro et al 2010; Navarro et al 2010, 2011; Breed et al 2013). At a national level, Greening Australia, Trees for Life, the Forestry Commission (UK) and English Nature have all reassessed their seed sourcing strategy based on this information.

    Species refugia and genetic strucutre at regional scales

    Historically species have adapted to major climate shifts by either migrating across regions, surviving within relatively climatically stable locations (refugia), and/or adapting to new environments (migration, adaptation or extinction). The identification of refugia and major migration pathways is of critical interest to biogeographic science since it gives an insight into how the differing life history characteristics of species confer resilience to environmental change during periods of major climatic upheaval.

    My group has examined the historical range dynamics of a range of plants (Mellick et al 2011; Navarro et al 2005; Cavers et al 2005; 2003a) and animals (Hereward et al 2013), across Australia (Mellick et al 2012; McCallum et al 2013), Europe (Cotrell et al 2002; Petit et al 2002), the Neotropics (Cavers et al 2013; 2004; 2003b; Lemes et al 2010), China (Wang et al 2009; Kang et al 2007) and Africa (Hardy et al 2013; Lowe et al 2010). Our group have combined genetic and simulation modelling procedures to examine the influence of  dispersal/migration on a species’ ability to respond to both past and future climate change scenarios (Davies et al 2004, 2013; Lowe et al 2006; McCallum et al 2013; Mellick et al 2012; 2011; Scoble and Lowe 2010) and to identify refugia using independent data sources. Current work is trying to locate important historical refugia for a range of taxa and to determine the relative role of glacial oscillations and shorter term (e.g. el niño) climatic variability on underlying genetic structure within populations.

    Using knowledge of genetic structure within species, particularly for valuable timber species (e.g. Cavers et al 2003; Lemes et al 2010), we have been developing specific markers to aid the tracking and identification of material from unknown or dubious sources (Lowe et al 2010; Lowe & Cross 2011), and work with forest certification companies and NGOs (e.g. WWF and FSC) to identify the species and source of origin of timber to eliminate illegally logged products in supply chains.

    Community diversity and resilience at continental scales

    Climate change is forcing a change in the composition of biological communities. These changes also offer an opportunity for the establishment of invasive species. Knowledge of which species co-occur at particular locations and what their environmental resilience is are critical to underpinning ecological understanding and species distribution models. Some of our research in this area has examined the rate of change in species communities along environmental gradients (temperature and rainfall; Guerin et al 2013). This work has demonstrated that lowland semi-arid and upland heath ecosystems of South Australia appear to be relatively stable to temperature increases, but that the slope vegetation changes quickly and dramatically within one degree of temperature change. A similar pattern is observed for rainfall. In addition, certain taxonomic groups were found to be more sensitive to such changes, for example many endemic families of plants (e.g., Ericaceae, Proteaceae, Myrtaceae and Orchidaceae), whilst major weeds (e.g. Poaceae and Asteraceae) are much more resilient to these changes (Guerin et al 2013).

    Our research was also the first to demonstrate an adaptive shift in plant morphology linked to climate change when a narrowing of leaf width was identified over a 20-year period for the narrow-leaved hop bush in South Australia (Guerin et al 2012; Guerin and Lowe 2012).

    Biogeography and macro-evolution

    A continuing debate in the Australasian region and globally has been the role of long distance dispersal in speciation and adaptive radiations on new and ancient (Gondwanan) landmasses. My group’s review of published literature found that New Caledonia has acted as a previously unrecognised source of origin for many South Pacific island taxa (Keppel et al 2009). My work on the Araucariaceae southern conifer group identified that the radiation of species has been much more recent than previously identified, and that these conifers have experienced a long and sustained period of extinction and re-evolution of morphotypes similar to contemporary taxa. Proof of this recent radiation means that the New Zealand kauri is a relatively recent floral element (30MY) that dispersed to this Gondawanan fragment after the Oligocene marine inundation (Biffin et al 2009). Also the basal radiation of Araucariaceae places the split with Wollemia, a recently discovered basal lineage and previously labeled ‘dinosaur plant’, well after the KT boundary and means it evolved contemporaneously with mammals (Biffin et al 2011).

    Interspecific hybridisation and weed evolution

    I studied the evolution of Britain’s newest plant species, discovered only 30 years ago, and described it as a new species, Senecio eboracensis Abbott & Lowe, based on ecological and molecular evidence (Lowe and Abbott, 2003). The origin of a new species within our time and its adaptation to man-made habitats (car parks; Lowe & Abbott 2004, Abbott & Lowe 2004) captured the scientific community and public imagination alike. In addition to scientific articles, press releases resulted in international media coverage (e.g. front page of The Times). The story also caused raging debate in creationist vs. evolution online forums, and a young British artist, Nich Relph, was inspired to produce an installation at the Finnish National Gallery on hearing the story.

    Recent work of our group has focused on examining the genomic composition and gene expression changes in the invasive range of important Australian weeds (e.g. bellyache bush, cats claw creeper and fireweed). Proof of genetic mixing, hybridisation (Prentis et al 2007; 2009) and rapid genomic changes in invasive compared to native ranges (Prentis et al 2010), has led to a reappraisal of the role of genomic and evolutionary mechanisms in the field of invasive biology (Prentis et al 2008), an area previously dominated by ecological paradigms (Wilson et al 2008, 2009). Ongoing work is assessing the importance of genetic and gene expression changes in the case study species fireweed and linking dynamics to evolutionary and ecological processes.

    Ecological and evolutionary genomics

    During this recent period of genomics revolution, my lab has been rapidly developing genomic methods for ecological and evolutionary applications (e.g. Prentis et al 2008; 2010; Gardner et al 2011; Scoble et al 2012; Wei et al 2012; Roda et al 2013), and is part of the Regional Facility for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, which houses state-of-the-art laboratories for sequencing technologies applied to ecological and evolutionary problems. Within the last year, the Facility has been significantly expanded to cater for large Next Generation Sequencing and DNA barcoding projects.

    For more information goto: 

  • Research Funding

    Helped secure over $250M of research support included roles as research director (CRC, TERN, EU, PSRF), and partner in major programs (TERN, NCCARF, EU). Highlights include:

    Facilitated large multi-partner funding bids, including:

    Nature Positive Economy CRC bid (submitted 2024) Department for Industry, Innovation and Science, 47 partners and $41.5M in partner cash  – Bid Lead and Interim CEO

    Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre (2019-2028) Department for Industry, Innovation and Science, 60 partners, $62M + $67M inkind – Inaugural Research Director

    Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (2010-2023) National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Scheme, 10 University/Research Institute partners (>$100M). Included leveraging funding through Premier’s Science and Research Fund, NeCTAR and Australian National Data Service. Inaugural Research Director and Board member.

    While at NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology led or partnered in large EU grants including EVOLTREE. (2006-2010 €14.7M), SEEDSOURCE (2006-2010 €2.6M), GENEO-TROPECO (2002-2005 €1.2M), TEAKDIV (2002-2004 €1.25M) OAKFLOW (2000-2004 €2.5M). 


    Individual and team awards

    ARC awards - LIEF 2016 LE160100154, Discovery 2016 DP150103414, Linkage 2012 LP120100648, Linkage 2011 LP110100721, Linkage 2011 LP110200805, Super Science Fellowship 2011 FS1102 00051, Discovery 2006 DP0664967, Discovery 2006 DP0665859, Linkage 2005 LP0562265.

    Lowe AJ, Westra SP, Qinfeng S, Tien-Fu L, Umberger WJ, Wheeler SA, Collins C, Pagay V, Bennett BS, Ostendorf BF. (2019-22) VitiVisor: An information, prediction and advisory platform for viticulture (Wine Australia) $2.3M. 

    Lowe AJ, Hogendoorn K, Breed M, Wilkinson M, Paton D, Weinstein P, Keller M, Austin A (2017-2020) Pollination reserves - Developing pollination services for native pollinators and managed honey bees from habitat restoration/ supplementation around pollinator dependent crops. (Dept Ag Rural R&D for Profit Fund, $4.5M)

    Degen B, Lowe AJ, Dormontt E, Cavers S et al. (2015-2017) Large scale project on genetic timber verification (German Federal Government – total project budget €5M).

    Lowe AJ, Degen B, Rimawanto A, Grant A (2014-2015) Implementing a DNA timber tracking system in Indonesia. International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO-TFLET, $650K)

    Lowe AJ, Austin A, Cooper S, Crayn D, Nevill P, Appleyard S (2014-2015) Framework DNA barcode datasets for Australia. BioPlatforms Australia (BPA, $500k; total leverage $2.4M)

    Crayn D, Costion C, Bransgrove K, Schulte K, Abell-Davis S, Metcalfe D, Rossetto M, Lowe AJ (2012-2014) What is at risk? Identifying rainforest refugia and hotspots of plant genetic diversity in the Wet Tropics and Cape York Peninsula. National Environmental Research Program: Tropical Ecosystems Hub ($344K)

    Degen B, Koch G, Hardy O, Lowe A, Doucet J-L, Höltken A, Cavers S, Boner M, Kelly S, Horacek M, Yéné Yéné G, Zahnen J, Opuni Frimpong E, Ngomanda A, Odee D (2012-1016) Development and implementation of a species identification and timber tracking system in Africa with DNA fingerprints and stable isotopes. International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO, US$ 1.7M)

  • Publications

    Published over 250 papers and book chapters, and over 100 reports, general article and websites.

    For a ful list of recent publications goto:

    Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=7f5oIgYAAAAJ&hl=en

    Research Gate (pdfs): https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Lowe2

    University of Adelaide list: http://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/author?author=lowe,+a 

    Some key publications:

    Books

    United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2015) Development of timber identification guidance. PC22 Doc. 14.2 (Rev. 1) as submitted to the Twenty-second meeting of the Plants Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Available at: https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/com/pc/22/E-PC22-14-02-R1.pdf

    Lindenmayer DB, Burns E, Thurgate N, Lowe AJ (2014) Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring, Challenges and Direction. CSIRO Publishing. 624 pp.

    Lowe AJ, Harris SA, Ashton PA (2004) Ecological Genetics; Design, Analysis and Application. Blackwells. http://au.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405100338.html

    Papers

    Jarvis et al (2024) Periodic Table of Food Initiative for generating biomolecular knowledge of edible biodiversity. Nature Food 5, 189–193.

    One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative (2019) One thousand plant transcriptomes and the phylogenomics of green plants. Nature 574 (7780), 679-685.

    Bastin JF, Finegold Y, Garcia C, Gellie N, Lowe A, Mollicone D et al (2019) Response to Comments on “The global tree restoration potential”. Science 366 (6463) eaay8108.

    Mills JG, Brookes JD, Gellie NJC, Liddicoat C, Lowe AJ, Sydnor HR et al (2019) Relating urban biodiversity to human health with the ‘holobiont’ concept. Frontiers in Microbiology 10, 550.

    Lemetre C, Maniko J, Charlop-Powers Z, Sparrow B, Lowe AJ, Brady SF (2017) Bacterial natural product biosynthetic domain composition in soil correlates with changes in latitude on a continent-wide scale. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114:11615-11620.

    Bastin JF, Berrahmouni N, Grainger A, Maniatis D, Mollicone D, Moore R, Patriarca C, Picard N, Sparrow B, Abraham EM, Aloui K, Atesoglu A, Attore F, Bassüllü C, Bey A, Garzuglia M, García-Montero LG, Groot N, Guerin G, Laestadius L, Lowe AJ, Mamane B, Marchi G, Patterson P, Rezende M, Ricci S, Salcedo I, Diaz AS-P, Stolle F, Surappaeva V, Castro R (2017) The extent of forest in dryland biomes. Science 356:635-638

    Lowe AJ, Smyth AK, Atkins K, Avery R, Belbin L, Brown N, Budden AE, Gioia P, Guru S, Hardie M, Hirsch T, Hobern D, La Salle J, Loarie SR, Miles M, Milne D, Nicholls M, Rossetto M, Smits J, Sparrow B, Terrill G, Turner D, Wardle GM (2017) Publish openly but responsibly. Science 357 (6347):141. 

    Lowe AJ, Dormontt EE, Bowie MJ, Degen B, Gardner S, Thomas D, Clarke C, Rimbawanto A, Wiedenhoeft A, Yin Y, Sasaki N (2016) Opportunities for Improved Transparency in the Timber Trade through Scientific Verification. BioScience 66 (11): 990-998. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw129

    Biffin E, Brodribb TJ, Hill RS, Thomas P, Lowe AJ (2012) Leaf evolution in Southern Hemisphere conifers tracks the angiosperm ecological radiation. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Biological Science. 279: 341-348. Recommended on PubAdvanced. 

    Wilson JRU, Dormontt EE, Prentis PJ, Lowe AJ, Richardson DM (2009) The importance of biogeography in defining invasion biology. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 24: 586. 

    Wilson JRU, Dormontt EE, Prentis PJ, Lowe AJ, Richardson DM (2009) Something in the way you move: dispersal pathways affect invasion success. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 24: 136-144. 

    Bacles CFE, Lowe AJ, Ennos RA (2006) Seed dispersal across a fragmented landscape. Science 311: 628. 

    Petit RJ et al (2002) Chloroplast DNA variation in European white oaks: Phylogeography and patterns of diversity based on data from over 2,600 populations. Forest Ecology and Management (Special Issue) 156: 5-26. Listed on Essential Science Indicators (ESI) as Highly Cited Paper (top cited papers over the past 10 years based on percentile rankings).

    Newton AC, Allnutt T, Gillies ACM, Lowe AJ, Ennos RA (1999) Molecular phylogeography, intraspecific variation and the conservation of tree species. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 14: 140-145. 

  • Professional Associations

    Board member, Science Media Centre (2024-onwards)

    Member of BD-112 Biodiversity Committee standards development program for ISO/TC 331 (2024-onwards)

    Board Member, Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board, appointed by Minister for the Environment SA (2020-onwards)

    Board member Subak Australia (2020-onwards) to maximise impact of start ups in solving climate change through funding, learning, networking, and the sharing of data.

    Member, Minister for Agriculture SA Agtech Advisory Committee (2019-2022)

    Board Member and University of Adelaide representative, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (2016-2021)

    Lead author of the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessment on Land Degradation and Restoration (2015-2017)

    Member of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) expert scientific working group to develop scientific verification framework for legally sourced timber (2014-2016)

    Member of Ecosystem Science Long Term Plan Steering Committee who received a Highly Commended award from the International Association for Public Participation Australasia's Core Values awards (2014-15)

    Member of review panel for the New Zealand Natural Heritage research program (2014) a $200M national strategic investment.

    Selected as member of science delegation, together with Australian Chief Scientist, Prof Ian Chubb, and Chief Executive of Department for Innovation, to participate in discussions in Brussels and Bonn in 2014 to establish bilateral research partnerships between Australia and Europe under the EU Horizon 2020 scheme ($70B). 

    Board member and chair of technical advisory group for Trees for Life (2015-2018). 

    Founding member of Global Timber Tracking Network (2012-2018)

    Member of Advisory Board of the Atlas of Living Australia (2009-2018) 

    Australian rep on International Barcode of Life (IBOL) Science Steering Group (2009-2013)

    Chair and founding member of the Australian Barcode of Life Network, a national strategy group to provide leadership and integration across institutes (2007-2013, Chair 2011-13)

    Member of management committee of Terrestrial Biodiversity Node of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF, 2008-ongoing)

    Coordinator of International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) working party on Population, Ecological and Conservation Genetics (Unit 2.04.01) with Sally Aitken (Canada) and Wickneswari Ratnam (Malaysia), (2003-2011) 

    Member of Science Advisory Panel for ClimateWatch (2008-2010)

    On expert science panel to develop genetic and phylogeny methods for Group of Earth Observation – Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON - 2009-2010)

    Member of Expert Science Panel for SA’s Premier’s Climate Change Council (2009-2011)

  • Community Engagement

    Andrew is passionate about communicating science and knowledge to a general audience and is an experienced media article writer and public presenter.

    He has presented at TedX and PechaKucha events, hosted panel discussions (WOMAD Planet Talks), runs blog sites (biodiversityrevolution and andylowe), hosts podcasts (Discovery Pod, EcoFuturists, FoodFuturists) and has served as Scientist in Residence for the Australian Financial Review (2019-2020) and the Advertiser (2018).

    He has published over 150 media articles and given over 250 public and scientific presentations and is a regular contributor to The Conversation 

  • Files

  • Media Expertise

    CategoriesEnvironment, Science & Technology
    Expertiseevolution of plants
    invasive species
    DNA tracking
    illegal logging
    climate change adaptation
    landscape genetics
    genomics
    DNA barcoding
    ecosystem survey
    phylogeography
    speciation and hybridisation
    biodiversity corridor planning
    biodiversity
    refugia
    habitat restoration
    conservation planning
    NotesAwarded Executive Dean?s prize for mid-career researcher (within 15 years of PhD) of the year (2010) in the Faculty of Science

    Finalist for South Australian Scientist of the Year (in Research Collaboration category), 2010

    Since 2000, have been lead PI on 16 research grants worth more than $18M (equivalent), and have been a partner on a further 15 grants with a total income in excess of $78M
    Mobile0434 607705

The information in this directory is provided to support the academic, administrative and business activities of the University of Adelaide. To facilitate these activities, entries in the University Phone Directory are not limited to University employees. The use of information provided here for any other purpose, including the sending of unsolicited commercial material via email or any other electronic format, is strictly prohibited. The University reserves the right to recover all costs incurred in the event of breach of this policy.

Entry last updated: Friday, 17 May 2024

To link to this page, please use the following URL:  /directory/andrew.lowe