I do research on the ecology and management of tropical ecosystems. Most of my research has focused on understanding the effects of catchment management practices including fire, weed, forestry and water management on freshwater ecosystems in northern Australia. I have worked on a variety of freshwater ecosystems including tropical rivers, floodplains and riparian zones and have studied aquatic invertebrate, fish, and plant communities and the ecosystem processes that connect them, particularly food webs. In collaboration with Samantha Setterfield, I have also worked on the ecology and management of exotic grasses in savanna ecosystems with a particular focus on Gamba grass.
Most of my research has been collaborative and I have long-running partnerships with Griffith University, Charles Darwin University, James Cook University and the CSIRO. Much of my research has been focussed on management outcomes and has been done in collaboration with the Australian, Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australian Governments and regional NRM groups across northern Australia. Recent research has also focussed on combining Indigenous knowledge and western science and I have been collaborating with Traditional Owners from the Daly River for the past 14 years