About me

Hey there! My name is Rebecca Wheatley and I am an integrative ecologist who researches topics in ecology, animal behaviour, biomechanics, and applied mathematics.

I'm currently employed as a postdoctoral research fellow with the Dynamics of Eco-Evolutionary Patterns group and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage node at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia. My research is using mathematical modelling to explore questions about how big herbivores, plants, fire, and water interact in both modern and prehistoric Australian ecosystems. This involves modelling some extant feral herbivores (like camels) as well as some of our unique giant marsupial herbivores that went extinct tens of thousands of years ago. I’m also hoping to use the models I develop for large herbivores to answer some questions about ecosystem interactions involving Australia’s small, native, extant herbivores.

Image credit: Amanda Niehaus

Although I'm a birder and a bit of a herp, I'm a firm believer in the importance of the research question over the research organism. I am also enthusiastic about cross-disciplinary research and enjoy collaborating in order to facilitate this, as I think its a fantastic way to make progress in many different fields (and can help avoid reinventing the wheel!).

I'm also keen on hiking, camping, reading, cooking up great veggo food, watching awful/hilarious b-grade movies, and spending time with my fantastic friends and family.