Rob Heinsohn

I'm a research intensive academic at the Australian National University interested in the evolutionary ecology and conservation biology of endangered birds and mammals. I supervise a large team of post-docs and post-graduate students and help them run field projects, often in remote and difficult conditions. Our field sites in Australia include Tasmania, Cape York Peninsula, Blue Mountains, and Norfolk Island and our research involves gaining intimate knowledge of the species' conservation needs, often at the level of the individual. Recent research by my group has revealed major threats to Tasmanian birds and has substantially added to the body of information available for critically endangered nomadic species such as the regent honeyeater. Through our intensive field research and communication with the government and general public our aim is to continue to draw attention to the species most at risk from extinction, and to conduct research targeted at pulling these species back from the ‘brink’ before it is too late.