Thomas Newsome

Home » Global Ecology Lab

Global Ecology Lab

As part of the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at The University of Sydney, the Global Ecology Lab investigates how human activities shape patterns of animal ecology and biodiversity, aiming to develop solutions that foster better ecological outcomes.

Exploring pathways and opportunities to strengthen Earth’s ecological integrity

Our research address two key human-animal dimensions: how humans alter terrestrial food web dynamics, and how environmental change-including climate change-affects species persistence. We translate science into impact through species reintroductions, habitat restoration, invasive species management, and strategies to reduce human-wildlife conflict.

Our work also connects people with nature through education, outreach, and active community engagement. We partner closely with Indigenous communities, recognising the importance of co-developing projects grounded in respect, knowledge-sharing, and long-term collaboration.

If you are a student interested in working with the Global Ecology Lab see the Opportunities tab.

_________________________________________________________________________

Principal Investigator

Thomas Newsome

______________________________________________________________________________________

Current Projects

  • Rewilding: multiple projects in forest and urban areas exploring the options, benefits and ecosystem impacts of rewilding initiatives (with WWF-Australia, NSW National Parks, Northern Sydney Councils, Taronga Zoo, and Greater Sydney Local Land Services)
  • ProjectOzScav: evaluating the ecosystem effects of carrion and scavengers in Australia (with NSW National Parks, ACT Government, WWF-Australia)
  • Washington Predator Prey Project (with the Predator Ecology Lab at The University of Washington, USA)
  • Trophic cascades and global extinction risk (with the Global Trophic Cascades Program at Oregon State University, USA)
  • Long term ecological monitoring in the Simpson Desert (with the Desert Ecology Research Group at The University of Sydney, Australia)
  • Long term ecological monitoring in the Tanami Desert (with the Central Land Council and Newmont Pty Ltd)

______________________________________________________________________________________

Recent Grants, Partnerships and Fellowships

  • ARC Linkage Project 2022 LP210301265 (Current) Urban rewilding: ecologically and community-informed futures ($698K). Principal Investigator
  • ARC Discovery Project 2021 DP210102593 (Current) Ecological forecasts of species response to fire, drought and heatwaves ($371K) Co-Investigator
  • WildForests Partnership (Current) Assisting NSW NPWS and WWF-Australia monitor rewilding initiatives across four new feral free reserves. ($120K + in-kind field support). Principal Investigator
  • Agrifutures Australia / NSW DPI (Current). Optimising kangaroo harvesting in NSW. ($245K + in-kind field support). Principal Investigator
  • NSW Environment Trust (Current) Wildlife Assist: Providing an evidence base for post-fire wildlife provisioning ($181,000). Co-Investigator
  • NSW Environment Trust Deer Project (Current) Major in-kind field support from NSW NPWS, and funding support for a PhD Student Stipend (up to $160,000). Principal Investigator
  • Morris Animal Foundation (Current) After the bushfire catastrophe: recovering our missing marsupials” ($220,000) Co-Investigator
  • Australian Alps National Parks Cooperative Management Program (2019-2022) Ecological effects of invasive European wasps in Alpine ecosystems ($21K) Principal Investigator
  • Hermon Slade Foundation (2020-2023) Ecological effects of animal mass mortality events ($61K) Principal Investigator
  • Pest and Weed Drought Funding (Australian Government) (2018-2020) Grosses Plains, Mowamba and Ingebyra Feral Deer Control Initiative ($211K) University partner with South East Local Land Services.
  • Greater Sydney Local Land Services (2019) Management and genetic assessments of urban and rural foxes across the Sydney region. Co-Investigator.
  • Australian Geographic (2020) The web of death: evaluating the effects of carrion on vulnerable alpine communities ($1500) Co-Investigator.
  • Threatened Species Recovery Hub (2018-2020) Cat suppression to conserve night parrots” ($180K) Co-Investigator.
  • Australian Pacific Science Foundation (2017-2020) Fighting over the scraps: predator interactions and the ecosystem effects of carrion ($35K) Principal Investigator.
  • Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (Current) Interactions between wolves and cougars in NE Washington ($1.4M) Co-Investigator.
  • Seattle City Lights Wildlife Research Grant (2017-2022) Interactions between wolves and Cougars in NE Washington ($64K) Co-Investigator.
  • National Geographic Society Committee for Research Exploration (2017) Wolves in the pacific northwest: the final frontier ($34K) Principal Investigator.
  • USEED Crowd-Funding (2017-2020) The top dog returns: the impact of wolves in the American west ($17K) Co-Investigator.
  • Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2016-2017) Predator management in Australia: lessons from interactions between wolves and cougars in NE Washington ($180K) Principal Investigator.
  • Australian American Fulbright Commission (2013-2014) How to manage dingoes in Australia: understanding the effect of reintroducing top-order predators ($57K) Principal Investigator.
  • Northern Territory Government (2010) EnvironmeNT Grant Diet of camp dogs in the Tanami Desert” ($10K) Principal Investigator.
  • Newmont Tanami Operations (2007-2011) The ecology of dingoes in the Tanami Desert” ($100K) Principal Investigator.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Current Postdoctoral Research Fellows

Patrick Finnerty (2024-Current)

Current Students (Primary Supervisor)

Patrick Bragato (PhD: University of Sydney): Investigating eastern quoll reintroductions – improving success beyond the fence.

Eliane McCarthy (PhD: University of Sydney): Using movement and genetic studies to understand how invasive deer in Kosciuszko National Park respond to management actions

Evan Curtis (PhD: University of Sydney): Optimising mangement strategies for four large macropods in New South Wales.

Rhys Cairncross (PhD: University of Sydney): Carrion and scavenging as an ecological indicator.

Mareshell Wauchope (PhD: University of Sydney): Opportunities for urban rewilding in Northern Sydney.

Valentina-Miriam Cittati (PhD: University of Sydney): Urban rewilding: supporting biodiversity restoration and conservation through social research.

Zali Jestrimski (PhD: University of Sydney): Do dingoes influence riparian vegetation dynamics in the semi-arid rangelands of Western Australia?

Current Students (Co-Supervisor)

Niraj Meisuria (PhD; University of Sydney): Defining the wild-domestic animal interface and microbial spillover risk.

Lauren Satterfield (PhD; University of Washington): Effects of wolf recolonization on mountain lion resource selection in Washington State, USA.

Bonita Mendel (PhD: University of Sydney): Translocation planning to conserve population genetic health.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Past Students (Primary and Co-Supervisor)

Angela Rana (PhD 2024: University of Sydney): Resilience in the face of natural disturbances:
conservation management and wildlife responses

Stefanie Bonat (PhD 2023; University of Sydney): The effects of animal mass mortality events
on an Australian scavenging food webs.

Emma Spencer (PhD 2022; University of Sydney): The web of death: scavenger communities and interactions on carrion in Australian landscapes.

Lily Van Eeden (PhD 2019; University of Sydney): Learning to live with dingoes: improving wildlife management by understanding social constraints on coexistence with carnivores.

James Vandersteen (MSc 2022; University of Sydney): Scavenging dynamics of the Australian Alps.

Chris Fust (MSc 2022; University of Sydney): Scavenging ecology in the Australian Alps: the bottom-side to the circle of life.

Nicholas Kennedy (Honours 2024: University of Sydney): Understanding species assemblages in northern Sydney to inform future rewilding efforts.

Daniel Antoniak (Honours 2024: University of Sydney): Using modelling to predict the optimal management actions for urban reintroductions.

Sam Johnson (Honours 2024: University of Sydney): Bolstering what’s left: how landscape factors influence Northern Sydney’s urban bushland mammal assemblages.

Martin Boer-Cueva (Honours 2023: University of Sydney): Life in the big smoke: terrestrial vertebrate assemblages and their drivers in Sydney, Australia.

Niraj Meisuria (Honours 2023: University of Sydney): Scavenging and social interaction of an apex avian scavenger is governed by bioregional and seasonal variation [University Medal].

Kate Townsend (Honours 2023: University of Sydney): Lower abundance of carrion associated flies (Diptera) at mass mortality events than at single carcasses.

Rhys Cairncross (Honours 2021: University of Sydney): Cut carrion: scavenging dynamics around experimentally split open carcasses in the Australian Alps.

Cleo Tischler (Honours 2022: University of Sydney): Around the table: the feeding behaviours of two native apex scavengers and an invasive mesoscavenger around carrion.

Emily Fang-ling Hsu (Honours 2021: University of Sydney): Foraging behaviours of herbivores around carcasses reflect their habitat preferences and feeding niche

Rebecca Stone (Honours 2021: Federation University): Responses of necrophilous beetles to animal mass mortality in the Australian Alps.

Molly Kane (Honours 2019: University of Sydney): Feral pigs in Kosciuszko National Park: participation of an introduced scavenger in a subalpine ecosystem.

Patrick Bragato (Honours 2019: University of Sydney): Corvids consuming carrion: the scavenging dynamics and behaviour of corvids around carcasses in the Simpson Desert, Australia.

Zyna Krige (Honours 2019: University of Sydney): Deluge and drought: scavenger dynamics in a hyper-variable arid environment.

Aiden Wright (Honours 2019: University of Sydney): Population genetics of Australian bush rats following their reintroduction into North Head, Manly.

Sarah Campbell (MRes 2018: Macquarie University): Antibiotic resistance, gene diversity and expression in wild foxes across urban, peri-urban and rural landscapes.

Will Ashley (MRes 2018: Macquarie University): Dispersal pathways, connectivity and gene flow between red fox populations across the Greater Sydney region.

Dara Albrecht (Summer Intern from Yale University 2019): Assisted with field and lab studies and science communication of ProjectOzScav.

Margarita Gil-Fernandez (MRes 2018: Macquarie University). Visitation rates of red fox and other species to M44 ejectors in peri-urban and urban areas of Sydney.

Gavin Trewella (Honours 2016: Deakin University): Do dingoes (Canis dingo) facilitate behaviourally-mediated trophic cascades in mallee ecosystems?

Evie Jones (Honours 2016: Deakin University): Factors influencing feral cat density and distribution in a mallee ecosystem.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Main External Collaborators

I am always interested to hear from potential collaborators.