MEEP alumni

Recent members of the MEEP Lab

MEEP in 2024. L-R: Toby Kovacs, Eilish McMaster, Zhuzhi Zhang, Maxim Adams, Leo Featherstone, Yu-Hsiang Ho, Simon Ho, Braxton Jones, Karen López, Antonio Rayos, Younis Menkara, Jorge Gutiérrez, Yasmin Asar, Kyle Ewart, Laurene Leclerc, Nate Lo. Absent: Joseph Schubert.

MEEP in 2023. L-R: Braxton Jones, Simon Ho, Laurene Leclerc, Kyle Ewart, Sharaf Fozdar, Susie Coady, Jack Savage, Maxim Adams, Zhuzhi Zhang, Karen López, Younis Menkara, Nate Lo, Antonio Rayos, Yasmin Asar. Absent: Toby Kovacs, Joseph Schubert, Beth Flaxman, Eilish McMaster.

MEEP in 2022
MEEP in 2022. L-R: Mark de Bruyn, Jack Savage, Fred Jaya, Toby Kovacs, Nate Lo, Laurene Leclerc, Yasmin Asar, Braxton Jones, Jack Marsden, Yi-Kai Tea, Joseph Schubert, Simon Ho, Zhuzhi Zhang, Kyle Ewart, Younis Menkara, Al-Aabid Chowdhury. Absent: Alice Dolin, Maxim Adams.

MEEP in 2021. L-R: Mark de Bruyn, Nate Lo, Kyle Ewart, Yasmin Asar, Matthew Booth, Michelle Chua, Toby Kovacs, Al-Aabid Chowdhury, Simon Ho, Yi-Kai Tea, Mezzalina Vankan, Fred Jaya, Braxton Jones.

MEEP in 2020. L-R, 1st row: Braxton Jones, Simon Ho, Perry Beasley-Hall. 2nd row: Yasmin Asar, Fred Jaya, Xin Xu. 3rd row: Daej Arab, Yi-Kai Tea, Mark de Bruyn. 4th row: Nate Lo, Zoe Patterson Ross, Toby Kovacs.

MEEP in 2019. L-R: Simon Ho, Perry Beasley-Hall, Katie Robinson, Sam Traves, Andrew Berg, Cara Van Der Wal, Yi-Kai Tea, Holly Nelson, Daej Arab, Toshihisa Yashiro, Giulio Facchini, Nate Lo, Mark de Bruyn, Tim Lee. Absent: Kyle Ewart, Zoe Patterson Ross.


Research staff

  • Kyle Ewart (2022–2024), postdoctoral research associate
  • Karen López (2023–2024), postdoctoral research associate
  • Fred Jaya (2020–2022), research assistant
  • Mark de Bruyn (2017–2022), senior lecturer
  • Xin Xu (2019–2020), Hunan Normal University, visiting researcher
  • Tim Lee (2019–2020), postdoctoral research associate
  • Katie Robinson (2019–2020), postdoctoral research associate
  • Toshihisa Yashiro (2017–2019), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellow
  • David Duchêne (2016–2018), postdoctoral research associate
  • Niklas Mather (2017–2018), research assistant
  • Fangluan Gao (2017–2018), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, visiting researcher
  • Arong Luo (2017–2018), Chinese Academy of Sciences, visiting researcher
  • Thomas Bourguignon (2015–2017), University of Sydney Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Yanli (Shirley) Che (2015–2016), Southwest University, visiting researcher
  • Sarah Vargas (2015), Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, postdoctoral fellow
  • Heng (Grace) Wei (2013–2014), postdoctoral researcher
  • Yoshinobu Hayashi (2012–2014), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Vicky McCarl (2012–2013), postdoctoral researcher

Postgraduate research students

  • Braxton Jones, supervised by Nathan Lo & Simon Ho
    PhD thesis submitted in 2024
  • Yasmin Asar, supervised by Simon Ho & Hervé Sauquet (Botanic Gardens of Sydney)
    PhD thesis submitted in 2024
  • Yi-Kai Tea (2022), supervised by Simon Ho, Nathan Lo, Anthony Gill, & Joey DiBattista (Australian Museum)
    PhD thesis: Evolution on coral reefs, with systematic treatments of the pencil and fairy wrasses (Teleostei: Labridae: Pseudojuloides et Cirrhilabrus)
  • Beth Flaxman (2021), supervised by Simon Ho, Mark de Bruyn, Laetitia Gunton (Australian Museum), & Elena Kupriyanova (Australian Museum)
    MSc thesis: Opening a can of worms: Investigating the depth range of a deep-sea polychaete species complex
  • Daej Arab (2021), supervised by Nathan Lo, Simon Ho, & Thomas Bourguignon (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology)
    PhD thesis: Insects and their endosymbionts: Phylogenetics and evolutionary rates
  • Perry Beasley-Hall (2020), supervised by Nathan Lo & Simon Ho
    PhD thesis: Digging deeper: phylogenetics and parallel evolution of Australian native cockroaches, their allies, and endosymbionts
  • Kyle Ewart (2020), supervised by Nathan Lo, Simon Ho, Rebecca Johnson (Australian Museum), & Rob Ogden (University of Edinburgh)
    PhD thesis: Phylogeography and population genetics of Australian threatened and invasive birds
  • Cara Van Der Wal (2020), supervised by Nathan Lo, Simon Ho, & Shane Ahyong (Australian Museum)
    PhD thesis: Total-evidence analyses of crustacean evolution
  • Zoe Patterson Ross (2019), supervised by Edward Holmes & Simon Ho
    PhD thesis: Inferring viral evolutionary history and dynamics using time-structured molecular sequence data
  • Jun Tong (2018), supervised by Nathan Lo & Simon Ho
    PhD thesis: Investigating evolutionary history using phylogenomics
  • Charles Foster (2018), supervised by Simon Ho & Murray Henwood
    PhD thesis: Using phylogenomic data to untangle the patterns and timescale of flowering plant evolution
  • Andrew Ritchie (2018), supervised by Simon Ho & Nathan Lo
    PhD thesis: Evaluating the performance of diversification models for reconstructing evolutionary history
  • Thilanka Galappaththi (2017), supervised by Nathan Lo
    MSc thesis: A timeframe for the evolution of ticks based on molecular clock analysis of mitochondrial genomes
  • David Duchêne (Australian National University, 2017), supervised by Marcel Cardillo, Lindell Bromham, & Simon Ho
    PhD thesis: The importance of phylogenetic model assessment for macroevolutionary inference
  • Timothy Lee (2016), supervised by Nathan Lo & Simon Ho
    PhD thesis: Molecular phylogenetic, ecological, and evolutionary studies of Australian rhinotermitid termites
  • Daej Arab (2015), supervised by Nathan Lo
    MSc thesis: Australian Nasutitermitinae: Phylogenetics, evolution, and biodiversity
  • Sebastián Duchêne (2015), supervised by Simon Ho & Edward Holmes
    PhD thesis: Understanding evolutionary rate variation in viruses
  • Luana Lins (2015), supervised by Nathan Lo, Simon Ho, & Buz Wilson
    PhD thesis: Molecular phylogenetics, evolution and systematics of Isopoda
  • Martyna Molak (2014), supervised by Simon Ho
    PhD thesis: Evolutionary analysis of ancient DNA sequences
  • Fangzhi (Frank) Jia (discontinued in 2014), supervised by Simon Ho & Nathan Lo
    Discontinued – transferred to medicine (University of Sydney)
  • Katie Robinson (2013), supervised by Nathan Lo & Steve Simpson
    PhD thesis: DNA methylation and phenotypic plasticity in the migratory locust
  • Julien Soubrier (University of Adelaide; 2012), supervised by Alan Cooper, Wolfgang Haak, Michael Lee, & Simon Ho
    PhD thesis: What (molecular) time is it? Using ancient DNA to accurately date evolutionary events

Honours students

  • Sharaf Fozdar (2023), supervised by Simon Ho & Vanessa Hayes
    Thesis: Refining the root region of the human mitochondrial tree
  • Susannah Coady (2023), supervised by Nathan Lo & Ros Gloag
    Thesis: Evolutionary ecology and conservation of Panesthia lata, the Lord Howe Island Wood-Roach
  • Danny Burton (2023), supervised by Dieter Hochuli & Nathan Lo
    Thesis: The effect of habitat traits on the presence and activity of arboreally nesting Nasutitermes sp. termites in urban bushland greenspaces
  • Dineth Pathirana (2023), supervised by Camilla Whittington, Mitchell Hodgson, & Nathan Lo
    Thesis: Biology of egg-laying and live-birth in the lizard Saiphos equalis
  • Maxim Adams (2023), supervised by Nathan Lo & Simon Ho
    Thesis: Biogeography, systematics and conservation genetics of the Australian Panesthia cockroaches
  • Genevieve Law (2022), supervised by Ros Gloag & Nathan Lo
    Thesis: Examination of the trajectory of speciation in the Australian stingless bee Tetragonula hockingsi (Apidae: Meliponini)
  • Younis Menkara (2022), supervised by Simon Ho, Nathan Lo, & Anthony Gill
    Thesis: Wirrah did you go: A taxonomic evaluation of Acanthistius ocellatus, the Eastern Wirrah, and Acanthistius paxtoni, the Orangelined Wirrah
  • Alice Dolin (2022), supervised by Simon Ho & Mark Post
    Thesis: Borrowed traits and dubious dates: A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of the Tani subbranch of the Trans-Himalayan family
  • Jack Savage (2022), supervised by Mark de Bruyn & Greta Frankham (Australian Museum)
    Thesis: The murky turtle pool: A first population genetic analysis of the invasive red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) within Australia
  • Al-Aabid Chowdhury (2022), supervised by Simon Ho & David Duchêne (University of Copenhagen)
    Thesis: Genomic perspectives of avian evolution
  • Amy Locke (2021), supervised by Alyson Ashe & Nathan Lo
    Thesis: Ecology and diversity of Caenorhabditis elegans and other nematodes in Sydney and surrounds
  • Matthew Booth (2021), supervised by Mark de Bruyn, Nathan Lo, & Greta Frankham (Australian Museum)
    Thesis: Genetic assessment of the Broad Headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bungaroides) for conservation management and wildlife forensic purposes
  • Michelle Chua (2021), supervised by Mark de Bruyn, Simon Ho, & Clive McMahon (University of Tasmania)
    Thesis: Dispersal in southern elephant seals from Davis Base, Antarctica: Combining population genetics and tracking data
  • Toby Kovacs (2021), supervised by Nathan Lo, Simon Ho, & James Walker (Australian Government Department of Agriculture Water & Environment)
    Thesis: Molecular phylogenetics, evolution, and taxonomy of the enigmatic cockroach family Nocticolidae
  • Mezzalina Vankan (2021), supervised by Simon Ho & David Duchêne (University of Copenhagen)
    Thesis: Accounting for conflicting signals of evolutionary history in the phylogenomics era
  • Yasmin Asar (2020), supervised by Simon Ho & Hervé Sauquet (Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney)
    Thesis: Testing the link between rates of morphological and molecular evolution in flowering plants
  • Holly Nelson (2019), supervised by Mark de Bruyn, Mark Eldridge (Australian Museum), & Viyanna Leo (Australian Wildlife Conservancy)
    Thesis: Long-nosed bandicoot (Perameles nasuta) population at North Head, Sydney, Australia
  • Andrew Berg (2019), supervised by Mark de Bruyn, Simon Ho, & Patrick Faulkner (Archaeology)
    Thesis: Holocene population dynamics of the Australasian southern elephant seal
  • Yi-Kai Tea (2018), supervised by Simon Ho, Nathan Lo, & Anthony Gill
    Thesis: From a land down under: Historical biogeography and systematics of the anti-equatorial fish Microcanthus strigatus (Teleostei: Microcanthidae)
  • Aaron Parker (2018), supervised by Nathan Lo, & Rebecca Johnson & Matthew Lott (Australian Museum)
    Thesis: Metabarcoding of invertebrates from Darwin International Airport
  • Cara Van Der Wal (2015), supervised by Nathan Lo, Simon Ho, & Shane Ahyong (Australian Museum)
    Thesis: Phylogeny and evolution of the Stomatopoda (Crustacea: Malacostraca) inferred using molecular data
  • Evelyn Todd (2015), supervised by Simon Ho & Natasha Hamilton (Veterinary Science)
    Thesis: Inbreeding and its effects on Thoroughbred racing performance
  • Monica Fahey (2015), supervised by Simon Ho & Maurizio Rossetto (Royal Botanic Garden)
    Thesis: Local persistence of regional connectivity: Contrasting gene flow barriers in Tristaniopsis (Myrtaceae)
  • Julia Dowe (2015), supervised by Madeleine Beekman & Nathan Lo
    Thesis: Weird things mitochondria do: The slime mould’s tale
  • Ashley Montagu (2013), supervised by Nathan Lo & Ben Oldroyd
    Thesis: Testing for conflicts in reproduction and genetic polyethism in the polygynous termite Nasutitermes exitiosus
  • Jun Tong (2013), supervised by Nathan Lo, Simon Ho, & Dieter Hochuli
    Thesis: The evolution of Australian burrowing cockroaches
  • Charles Foster (2013), supervised by Simon Ho, Murray Henwood, & Barry Conn (Royal Botanic Garden)
    Thesis: Gone with the wind? A systematic revision and biogeographic treatment of Logania R.Br. (Loganiaceae)
  • Timothy Lee (2011), supervised by Nathan Lo, Simon Ho, & Buz Wilson (Australian Museum)
    Thesis: Systematics and biogeography in the genus Spherillo, with a focus on Spherillo grossus
  • Lauren van der Kraan (2011), supervised by Kathy Belov (Vet), Nathan Lo, & Beata Ujvari (Veterinary Science)
    Thesis: Characterisation of natural killer cell receptor genes in the Tasmanian devil genome
  • Shannan Langford Salisbury (2011), supervised by Jaime Gongora (Veterinary Science) & Simon Ho
    Thesis: Genetic study of chickens from Norfolk Island

Interns and volunteers

  • Jil Helbling (2024), volunteer
  • Oscar Lo Lu (2024), volunteer
  • Aidan Lowe (2024), volunteer
  • Juno Bennett (2023), volunteer
  • Jack Marsden (2021-2022), Denison Research Scholar
  • Toby Kovacs (2019–2020), Denison Research Scholar
  • Samuel Traves (2018–2019), intern
  • Blake Johnson (2018–2019), Denison Research Scholar
  • Matteo Barbato (2018), intern
  • Eugene Kwok (2018), Denison Research Scholar
  • Courtney Wood (2017), Denison Research Scholar
  • Toby Kovacs (2017, 2019), Talented Student Program intern
  • Gabriela Arratia (2016–2017), volunteer
  • Elise Winch (2016–2017), volunteer
  • Katalina Bobowik (2016), intern
  • Amanda Chen (2015), Talented Student Program intern
  • Juanita Chui (2015), Talented Student Program intern
  • Tayler Wishart (2014), Talented Student Program intern
  • Felipe Cini (2014), intern
  • Lindsay Kemp (2013), volunteer
  • Shuravi Paul (2012–2013), volunteer
  • Craig Coorey (2012), volunteer
  • Katy Schlotfeldt (2012), volunteer

Academic visitors

  • Jorge Gutiérrez-Rodríguez (2023–2024), Spanish National Research Council
  • Molly Hunter (2022), University of Arizona
  • David Duchêne (2020–2023), University of Copenhagen
  • Sally Potter (2018–2022), Australian National University
  • Giulio Facchini (2019), University of Roehampton (London, United Kingdom)
  • Zongqing (Wayne) Wang (2015), Southwest University (Chongqing, China)
  • Gerry Cassis (2014), University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia)
  • Anna Namyatova (2013–2016), University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia)
  • Xiaofeng (Hans) Liu (2013–2014), Capital Normal University (Beijing, China)
  • Ainsley Seago (2012), CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences (Canberra, Australia)
  • Kiyoto Maekawa (2012), University of Toyama (Japan)
  • Christian Bruhn (2011), University of Copenhagen (Denmark)