Access to a wealth of natural and historical resources, combined with world-class research facilities and inter-disciplinary teamwork, make The University of Western Australia (UWA) an exciting place for researchers.
Studying the seas
The 21,000 kilometre Western Australian coastline stretches from the tropical Kimberley region to Australia’s temperate south coast. UWA is involved in a number of research projects studying and exploring these Indian Ocean waters.
UWA recently opened its Wave Energy Research Centre in Albany. Research underway at the centre will increase our knowledge and understanding of wave, tidal and offshore wind energy, and put the state at the forefront of marine renewable energy technology.
Oceans Institute researcher Renee Gruber on a research expedition at Tallon Island in the Kimberley.
A treasure trove of plants
It’s not only the marine environment attracting researchers. Western Australia’s southwest corner, an area roughly the size of England, is one of only 36 named biologically rich zones in the world. “No comparable area on Earth can match the age of discovery witnessed here recently,” says Stephen Hopper, professor of biodiversity at UWA’s Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management. The area’s unique flora and fauna provide unmatched opportunities for research. It hosts the world’s highest amount of plants pollinated by birds and mammals (15%), and more than 4,000 species of plants are endemic to the region. Hopper has named 300 plants in the area, new to science, including eucalypts, orchids and kangaroo paws.
Professor Stephen Hopper in the southwest region he has so much passion for.
Multidisciplinary approach to evolutionary biology
Researchers at the Centre for Evolutionary Biology are tackling some of evolution’s deepest mysteries. “Our research addresses evolutionary questions in diverse organisms, from insects to humans,” associate professor Amanda Ridley explains. The centre adopts a multidisciplinary approach to explore selective processes acting on the morphological and life-history traits of whole organisms and their gametes. It includes experts in acoustic signalling, predator−prey interactions, visual ecology, sperm competition, chemical ecology and genetic mapping of complex traits.
“Our work is carried out both in the field and the lab, in natural and artificial settings,” says Ridley. “We’re highly collaborative at both national and international levels and combine skills across the board from a whole-organism approach, to intricate detail at the cellular level. In a nutshell, we robustly test scientific principles and challenge the traditional ethos of what science predicts we should see.”
The team’s work is frequently reported in the media, which includes a spotlight on their recent research into the cognitive ability of magpies. The range of research underway and the chance to work in the wild make the centre a popular option for PhD students.
Bird track engravings looking over Deep Gorge in Western Australia’s north west.© Matthew Galligan
UWA’s Centre for Rock Art Research and Management digs back through time, tapping into some of Australia’s most spectacular rock art galleries. “Few landscapes offer as much tangible evidence of human history as the Pilbara, Kimberley and Western Desert regions in Western Australia,” says the centre’s director, Jo McDonald. “They present archaeologists and rock art researchers with an extraordinary opportunity to learn more about the rich visual histories associated with them.”
The Burrup Peninsula, or Murujuga, on the mid-west coast of Western Australia is one such place, home to over one million indigenous engravings on piles of ancient blocks. “Some of this art demonstrates the first use of this land by people arriving over 45,000 years ago, when the hills were more than 100 kilometres from the coast,” McDonald says.
A leader in the region
With such a broad range of unique natural resources in Western Australia, UWA is perfectly placed to lead research in a number of key areas. “We’re regarded as one of Australia’s top institutions, attracting people of world standing across a number of fields, including astronomy, marine science, the geosciences, agriculture, biodiversity, climate change and health,” says Robyn Owens, deputy vice-chancellor for research.