I completed a BSc (Hons) in Zoology at the University of Western Australia in 1991. I spent a few years as a research assistant at the University of Wollongong studying the genetic structure of corals before moving to New Zealand in 1996 to begin a PhD. My PhD research focused on the effects of an invasive weed on community and ecosystem processes within lowland forest remnants. I returned to Perth in 2004, where I joined Professor Richard Hobbs' research group at Murdoch University. Here, I worked with Viki Cramer and others to determine the ecological barriers to old-field recovery in south-western Australia. I became a UWA Research Fellow in 2009.

2012 Bjarne K Dahl Trust Grant with S Prober
2012 Alcoa of Australia Grant with RK Didham & RJ Hobbs
2009 UWA Development Award
2008 DEC with RJ Hobbs
2008 Avon Catchment Council with SM Prober
2006–9 ARC-Linkage with RJ Hobbs, M Tibbett & JM Koch
1997–01 Landcare Research (NZ) scholarship

I contribute to a number of research projects including a large-scale restoration project at UWA Future Farm, testing for evidence of resilience of jarrah forest species to climate change, experimenting with fire as a tool for restoration of woodlands degraded by grazing, and another that aims to compare plant traits of weeds and natives in Mediterranean-climate ecosystems of the world.

Currently I co-supervise five PhD students: Hilary Harrop-Archibald, Mark Murphy, Bridget Johnson, Suzanne Orchard, and Nancy Shackelford.
Completed: Lauren Hallett, Lisa Denmead (both MSc); Mandy Trueman, Christine Allen, Martha Orozco Aceves (all PhD).

I have a broad interest in ecology and its application to the management and restoration of native ecosystems. My research is grounded in theory but driven by an interest in developing practical outcomes for restoration in a rapidly changing world. I use an experimental and conceptual approach to research that is informed by my observations of what occurs in nature. In this regard, plants offer many opportunities to explore.

Editorial Board Member, Ecological Management and Restoration
Associate Editor, Journal of Vegetation Science and Applied Vegetation Science