Research output per year
Research output per year
The University of Western Australia (M092), 35 Stirling Highway,
6009 Perth
Australia
I am an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow (tenured Senior Lecturer from April 2024) working in the field of evolutionary and behavioural ecology. I am interested in exploring theories of sex allocation, sociality and sexual selection. I use a number of different approaches to study furry animals, including rodents and marsupials, in both the field and the lab. Through supervising student projects, I also work on less furry animals, including birds and reptiles. I place a strong focus on generating conservation-based outcomes. For example, I am dedicated to understanding how increased ambient temperatures influence sex allocation outcomes and ultimately population dynamics. I am also exploring how behavioural responses may assist our native rodents in coping with Australia's changing climate.
1. Adaptive sex allocation and sperm sex ratios (ARC Future Fellowship)
Primary collaborator: Assoc Prof Paco Garcia-Gonzalez, Donaña Biological Station, Sevilla, Spain
2. Behavioural resilience to climatic variation in pebble mound mice (ARC DP)
Primary collaborator: Prof Dustin Rubenstein, Columbia University, New York City, USA
3. Postmating sexual selection in house mice
Primary collaborator: Prof Leigh Simmons, University of Western Australia
4. Night song in Willie wagtails
Primary collaborator: Assoc Prof Mandy Ridley, University of Western Australia
Student projects:
- Aging, sperm sncRNA expression and fertility in human males
- Investigating sex ratio skews in a captive bred threatened marsupial
- The impact of bandicoots as ecosystem engineers on Dirk Hartog Island
- The Greater Stick-Nest Rat (Leporillus conditor): investigating stick-nest properties, habitat use and population dynamics at Mt Gibson sanctuary in Western Australia
- Quantifying shell hardness in Western Swamp Tortoise: implications for the Perth Zoo breeding program
Total funding (all sources): $2,000,000
Key projects:
2022-2025 Australian Research Council Discovery Project: $360,000
2019-2024 Australian Research Council Future Fellowship: $760,000
2014-2018 Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award: $393,000
2013 Fortescue Metals Group Pty. Ltd. Research Contribution: $50,000
2010-2012 Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship and Discovery Project (APD): $390,000
2019-2024 Australian Research Council Future Fellow (UWA)
2014-2018 Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow (UWA)
2013 UWA Centre for Evolutionary Biology Postdoctoral Researcher (UWA)
2010-2012 Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow (UWA)
2009 Centre for Evolutionary Biology Postdoctoral Researcher (UWA)
2023 Australasian Evolution Society Vice President Elect
2015-2021 UWA Animal Ethics Committee category B member
2015-2021 Perth Zoo Research Committee UWA representative
Current:
ANIM5110 Biology of Australian Marsupials (primary coordinator/lecturer)
ANIM3353 Wildlife Conservation and Management (co-coordinator)
ANIM3365 Behavioural Ecology (lecturer)
ANIM5502 Evolutionary Ecology (student group leader)
Past:
ANIM2227 Animal Form and Function (co-coordinator/lecturer)
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Vice President Elect, Australasian Evolution Society
1 Jan 2023 → 31 Dec 2023
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Zhang, X. (Creator), Firman, R. (Creator), Song, M. (Creator), Li, G. (Creator), Cheng, C. (Creator), Liu, J. (Creator), Huang, S. (Creator) & Zhang, Z. (Creator), DRYAD, 5 Apr 2023
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.5x69p8d81, https://zenodo.org/record/7802929 and one more link, https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.5x69p8d81 (show fewer)
Dataset
Igreja Andre, G. (Creator), Firman, R. C. (Creator), Simmons, L. W. (Creator) & André, G. I. (Creator), DRYAD, 7 Jul 2020
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.5tb2rbp27, http://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.5tb2rbp27 and one more link, https://zenodo.org/record/3962344 (show fewer)
Dataset
Simmons, L. W. (Creator) & Firman, R. C. (Creator), DRYAD, 2 Aug 2013
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.vb229, https://datadryad.org/resource/doi:10.5061/dryad.vb229
Dataset
Manser, A. (Creator), Lindholm, A. K. (Creator), Simmons, L. W. (Creator) & Firman, R. C. (Creator), DRYAD, 15 Jul 2017
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.p3r38, http://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.p3r38
Dataset
Igreja Andre, G. (Creator), Firman, R. C. (Creator), Simmons, L. W. (Creator) & André, G. I. (Creator), DRYAD, 2 Nov 2020
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9ghx3fff1, https://doi.org/10.5061%2Fdryad.9ghx3fff1 and one more link, https://zenodo.org/record/4243491 (show fewer)
Dataset
Firman, R. (Investigator 01) & Rubenstein, D. (Investigator 02)
ARC Australian Research Council
29/08/22 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
Firman, R. (Investigator 01)
ARC Australian Research Council
1/01/18 → 31/12/24
Project: Research
Firman, R. (Chief Investigator) & Musolf, K. (Investigator 02)
The University of Western Australia
1/01/16 → 31/12/16
Project: Research
Firman, R. (Investigator 01) & Fisher, D. (Investigator 02)
The University of Western Australia
1/01/15 → 31/12/15
Project: Research
Firman, R. (Investigator 01) & Garcia-Gonzalez, F. (Investigator 02)
The University of Western Australia
1/01/14 → 31/12/14
Project: Research