Associate Professor Celine Frere obtained her PhD in biology from the University of New South Wales and has held post-doctoral positions at the University of Queensland, a lectureship at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation and the University of Exeter, UK, and a Research Fellowship at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Associate Professor Frere is an empirical biologist with a primary research interest in animal behaviour and genetics. She has published widely including on lizards, giraffes, cetaceans, porpoises, koalas and kangaroos.
She leads a large research group, including 7 PhD candidates, 2 post-doctoral researchers, 3 research assistants and 2 Honours candidates.
Associate Professor Frere was central to the establishment of USC’s Global Change Ecology Research Group, which draws together early and mid-career academics focussing on the impacts of anthropogenic change on biodiversity and ecosystems.
In 2015, Associate Professor Frere and her post-doctoral researcher, Dr Romane Cristescu, launched USC’s Detection Dogs for Conservation unit, which delivers ecological data and analysis on vulnerable species (koalas and quolls) to government and industry.
Associate Professor Frere leads a long-term studies of city-dwelling eastern water dragons (8+ years), koalas, eastern red kangaroos (6yrs), and is a genetic curator for one of the longest wild dolphin research studies in the world, the Shark Bay Research Project, (34+years).
Her research has been featured on Catalyst (ABC), Totally Wild (Channel 9), Scope (Channel 10), BrainBuzz (Channel 10), Magical Land of Oz (BBC/ABC), and Off-Track Wild Oz (ABC Radio).
Awards
- 2017 SuperStar of STEM 2017/18 Science and Technology Australia
- 2012 University of the Sunshine Coast University Fellowship
- 2012 UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for Women (declined in favour of USC Fellowship)
- 2006 Post-graduate Scholarship Award (University of New South Wales)
Current research
Genetic and ecological consequences of urbanisation in animals:
- Genetic consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation in koalas
- Ecological relevance of rehabilitation for koalas
- Behavioural ecology of koalas and its relevance for conservation
- Advancing methods in koala ecology (including drones)
- Genomic signatures of urbanisation in dragons and koalas
- Disease outbreaks in urban reptile populations
- Gut-microbiome and urbanisation
The evolution of social behaviour in animals:
- Long-term avoidance behaviour in dolphins, dragons and kangaroos
- Social plasticity
- The adaptive significance of sociality in animals
- Development of social behaviour
- Sociality and disease transmission
Research grants
|
Year |
Source |
Project |
Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2019 |
Northern Tablelands Local Land Services |
Koala Habitat and Pilot Genetic Project 2019-2020 Cristescu, Frère |
$70,033.25
|
|
2018 |
Redland City Council |
Ormiston Koala Population Monitoring & Community Project. Frère, Cristescu |
$64,945 |
|
2018 |
Redland City Council |
Koala conservation genomics to inform conservation management - Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) Koala Monitoring. Cristescu, Frère |
$35,000 |
|
2018 |
National Science Foundation USA (NSF-IOS) |
The Impact of Maternal Effects on Social Plasticity and Fitness Variation in a Long-Lived Mammal. Mann, Frère |
US $791,243 |
|
2018 |
Qld Dept. of Transport and Main Roads |
Genetics to the rescue: Detecting early signals of population subdivision. Frère, Sherwin, Cristescu, Johnson |
$366,700 |
|
2018 |
Noosa Biosphere Reserve |
Koala Forever: securing the future of wild koalas and wild koala eco-tourism in the Noosa Biosphere Reserve. Frère, Cristescu, Schoeman, Scales |
$80,000 |
|
2018 |
Northern Tablelands Local Land Services |
SE Northern Tablelands Koala Habitat Project. Cristescu, Frère |
$69,000 |
|
2018 |
Redland City Council. |
Conservation genomics of koalas: implication for management. Frère, Cristescu |
$160,000 |
|
2016-17 |
Northern Tablelands Local Land Services |
Mapping koala distribution, favoured trees and threats in the Northern Tablelands. Frère, Cristescu |
$110,000 |
|
2016 |
Qld Transport and Main Roads |
Non-invasive monitoring of fragmented and rehabilitated koala habitats Frère, Cristescu |
$938,760 |
|
2016 |
Noosa Biosphere Reserve |
Koala mapping and health. Frère, Cristescu |
$59,472 |
|
2016 |
Sunshine Coast Regional Council |
Developing non-invasive methodologies for Koala health landscape monitoring. Frère, Cristescu |
$60,000
|
|
2016 |
Fraser Coast Regional Council |
Developing non-invasive methodologies for Koala health landscape monitoring. Frère, Cristescu |
$20,000 |
|
2016 |
Gympie Regional Council |
Developing non-invasive methodologies for Koala health landscape monitoring. Frère, Cristescu |
$60,000 |
|
2015 |
National Science Foundation USA. (IRES) |
International Research Experience for Students Mann, Patterson, Frère |
US $249,000 |
|
2015 |
Redland City Council |
Chlamydia and scats. Frère, Cristescu, Timms |
$30,000 |
|
2015 |
Sunshine Coast Council |
Koala Health Sunshine Coast Region. Frère, Cristescu |
$20,000 |
|
2015 |
Fraser Coast Regional Council |
Koala Health Sunshine Coast Region Frère, Cristescu |
$10,000
|
|
2015 |
International Foundation for Animal Welfare |
Koala Detection Dog. Cristescu, Frère |
$31,000 |
|
2015 |
Queensland Koala Crusaders |
Koala Detection Dog. Cristescu, Frère |
$1,000 |
|
2015 |
Koala Action Inc |
Koala Detection Dog. Cristescu, Frère |
$5,000 |
Research areas
- Animal Behaviour
- Behavioural Ecology
- Genetics
Teaching areas
- ANM301 Animal Behaviour
- ANM302 Global Change Ecology
- SC401: Bachelor of Science (Honours supervision)
- SRP301 Special Research Project
Program coordinator
Associate Professor Celine Frere's specialist areas of knowledge include building and exploiting long-term, individual-based genetic and behavioural empirical information to answer questions about evolutionary processes in nature (with a focus on social evolution and adaption). Associate Professor Frere leads the longest individual-based study of reptiles in Australia - city-dwelling eastern water dragons (8+ years), the largest dataset on koala distribution, disease and genetics in Australia, a large dataset on eastern red kangaroos (6yrs), and Celine is a genetic curator for one of the longest wild dolphin research studies in the world, the Shark Bay Research Project, (34+years).