Eucalypts are a quintessential component of Australian landscapes. There are more than 700 diverse species, ranging from the tallest flowering plant in the world (E. regnans) to prostrate shrubs clinging to cold, rocky mountain tops (e.g. E. vernicosa) to dry-adapted mallees with massive possum-pollinated flowers (e.g. E. rhodantha). We study evolutionary relationships among species, as well as micro-evolutionary processes, the evolutionary significance of hybridization, historical migration routes and climatic refugia.

We are looking for Honours and PhD students in projects such as:

• Genomic patterns of lineage, species and population divergence in eucalypts
• The genomic trace of hybridisation between Eucalyptus globulus and the rare E. cordata
• Hybridisation in a newly colonised landscape – the case of the endemic alpine white gums
• Evolution of adaptive syndromes in Eucalyptus
• Genetics of adaptation and speciation in eucalypts (see also Restoration Genetics)
• Evidence for hybrid speciation in Eucalyptus: the rare Eucalyptus paludicola
• Geographic and taxonomic patterns of monophyly and hybridisation in eucalypts (Honours)
• Evolutionary dynamics in a globally significant Eucalyptus lineage (PhD)

Contact: Rebecca Jones

More information about the application process can be found on the UTAS website