
Dr Alyce Swinbourne
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
School of Animal and Veterinary Science
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I have a passion for all things science, including conducting research, science communication and teaching. My university degrees, ambassadorships, mentoring opportunities and volunteer work has provided me with the opportunities and experience to develop a variety of research and science presentation skills. I now have a Bachelor of Animal Science with First Class Honours, a PhD in wildlife reproduction and a Bachelor of Teaching, specialising in secondary science education.
I started to develop my research and communication skills as a Bachelor of Science undergraduate when I became an Adelaide Zoo volunteer giving tours and conducting animal encounters with the public in the children’s zoo. During my Honours in pig reproduction, I found thoroughly enjoyed conducting research and presenting my research to peers and decided that during my PhD in wildlife reproduction I would also undertake a Bachelor of Teaching through Charles Sturt University, specialising in secondary science education. I completed my Bachelor of Teaching in 2017 have developed teaching and learning strategies which allow me to be an effective science communicator, and inspire and engage the next generation of scientists.
Video links to my science communication
Channel 7: https://twitter.com/7NewsAdelaide/status/1028573069638389762?s=09
Scope TV: https://tenplay.com.au/channel-eleven/scope/season-3/episode-127
SciWorld: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0455wkiy7nysi8g/video-1500431957.mp4?dl=0
Buswhacked! (Paid clip) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhgHlDpNxEI&t=0s&index=12&list=ELNP1j33ISRmloEhDmYtXcug
Three Minute Thesis: https://vimeo.com/139548431
SRB Science Meets Publican: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtBmEjnLfFg
I am an early career researcher in the field of animal reproduction with experience in both production and wildlife species. My research career began in 2012 when I completed my Honours through the University of Adelaide investigating the effects of season and nutrition on oocyte quality in pubescent pigs, resulting in my first publication. In 2018, I completed my PhD through the University of Queensland to investigate the use of non-invasive tools to monitor and assess the reproductive function and endocrinology in an iconic Australian native species, the southern hairy-nosed wombat. The collection and analysis techniques developed throughout my PhD have not only been applied in subsequent post-graduate wildlife research projects, the valuable information of the wombat’s reproductive cycle has also been used to develop strategies to optimise captive breeding programs.
I am currently appointed as the Post-Doctoral Research Fellow on a large scale collaborative research project between the University of Adelaide, the South Australian Research and Development Institute, and Meat & Livestock Australia investigating the effects of maternal nutritional supplementation in gestating ewes to improve twin lamb survival in Merino ewes. This project enables me to conduct collaborative research with senior researchers as well as industry partners to development meaningful and relevant strategies to optimise livestock performance outcomes for producers within South Australia. Further, this position enables me to continue to develop my own academic and research career while fostering the skill development and research potential of recent post-graduate and HDR students.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2018 - ongoing Post-Doctoral Research Fellow University of Adelaide 2016 - 2018 Science Communicator SciWorld 2013 - ongoing Animal Reproduction and Development Demonstrator University of Adelaide -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2013 - 2018 The University of Queensland Australia Doctorate of Philosphy 2013 - 2017 Charles Sturt University Australia Bachelor of Teaching 2009 - 2012 The University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Animal Science (Hons) -
Research Interests
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Journals
Year Citation 2022 Swinbourne, A. M., Blagojevic, N., Murdock, N. J., Mills, H. B., Flinn, T., McCarthy, N. L., . . . Van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2022). Validation of hand-held refractometers for assessing Merino ewe colostrum and neonatal lamb serum. Animal Production Science, 62(3), 284-294.
2022 McCarthy, N., Brougham, B. J., Swinbourne, A. M., Weaver, A. C., Kelly, J. M., Gatford, K. L., . . . Van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2022). Maternal oral supplementation with citrulline increases plasma citrulline but not arginine in pregnant Merino ewes and neonatal lambs. Animal Production Science, 62(6), 521-528.
2022 Lewis Baida, B. E., Baumert, M., Kushwaha, A., Swinbourne, A. M., Leu, S. T., & van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2022). Validation of indwelling vaginal sensor to monitor body temperature in ewes. Animal Biotelemetry, 10(1), 11 pages.
2021 Lewis Baida, B. E., Swinbourne, A. M., Barwick, J., Leu, S. T., & van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2021). Technologies for the automated collection of heat stress data in sheep. Animal Biotelemetry, 9(1), 4-1-4-15.
Scopus5 WoS42021 Swinbourne, A. M., Kind, K. L., Flinn, T., Kleemann, D. O., & van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2021). Caffeine: A potential strategy to improve survival of neonatal pigs and sheep. Animal Reproduction Science, 226, 106700.
Scopus3 WoS2 Europe PMC22021 Murdock, N. J., Weaver, A. C., Kelly, J. M., Kleemann, D. O., Van Wettere, W. H. E. J., & Swinbourne, A. M. (2021). Supplementing pregnant Merino ewes with caffeine to improve neonatal lamb thermoregulation and viability.. Anim Reprod Sci, 226, 106715.
Scopus1 WoS12021 Van Wettere, W. H. E. J., Kind, K. L., Gatford, K. L., Swinbourne, A. M., Leu, S. T., Hayman, P. T., . . . Walker, S. K. (2021). Review of the impact of heat stress on reproductive performance of sheep.. J Anim Sci Biotechnol, 12(1), 26.
Scopus9 WoS5 Europe PMC22021 McCarthy, N., Weaver, A. C., Agenbag, B., Flinn, T., Brougham, B. J., Swinbourne, A. M., . . . van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2021). Maternal lysine, methionine and choline supplementation in twin-bearing Merino ewes during mid-to-late gestation does not alter pregnancy outcomes or progeny growth and survival. Livestock Science, 251, 8 pages.
2021 Agenbag, B., Swinbourne, A. M., Petrovski, K., & van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2021). Lambs need colostrum: A review. Livestock Science, 251, 1-8.
Scopus1 WoS12020 Brougham, B. -J., Weaver, A. C., Swinbourne, A. M. F., Lewis Baida, B. E., Kelly, J. M., Walker, S. K., . . . Van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2020). Maternal Supplementation with Dietary Betaine during Gestation to Improve Twin Lamb Survival.. Animals (Basel), 10(10), 14 pages.
Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC32020 Flinn, T., Gunn, J. R., Kind, K. L., Swinbourne, A. M., Weaver, A. C., Kelly, J. M., . . . Kleemann, D. O. (2020). Maternal melatonin implants improve twin Merino lamb survival. Journal of Animal Science, 98(11), 1-5.
Scopus2 WoS22020 Flinn, T., Kleemann, D. O., Swinbourne, A. M., Kelly, J. M., Weaver, A. C., Walker, S. K., . . . van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2020). Neonatal lamb mortality: major risk factors and the potential ameliorative role of melatonin. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 11(1), 11 pages.
Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC42020 Flinn, T., Mc Carthy, N. L., Swinbourne, A. M., Gatford, K. L., Weaver, A. C., McGrice, H. A., . . . Van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2020). Supplementing Merino ewes with melatonin during the last half of pregnancy improves tolerance of prolonged parturition and survival of second-born twin lambs. Journal of animal science, 98(12), 1-10.
Scopus4 WoS32019 Swinbourne, M., Taggart, D., Swinbourne, A., & Ostendorf, B. (2019). Southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) in the Gawler Ranges region of South Australia: population growth from 1988 to 2016. Australian Mammalogy, 41(1), 112-122.
Scopus5 WoS52018 Swinbourne, A., Johnston, S., Janssen, T., Lisle, A., & Keeley, T. (2018). Reproductive biology of captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons). Part 1: Oestrous cycle characterisation. Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 30(11), 1412-1423.
Scopus3 Europe PMC22018 Swinbourne, A., Phillips, C., Janssen, T., Lisle, A., Keeley, T., & Johnston, S. (2018). Reproductive biology of captive female southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons). Part 2: Oestrous behaviour. Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 30(11), 1424-1433.
Scopus2 Europe PMC12018 Swinbourne, M., Taggart, D., Swinbourne, A., Lewis, M., & Ostendorf, B. (2018). Using satellite imagery to assess the distribution and abundance of southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons). Remote Sensing of Environment, 211, 196-203.
Scopus12 WoS132017 Swinbourne, A. M., Johnston, S. D., Janssen, T. M., Lisle, A., & Keeley, T. (2017). Validation of techniques to measure reproductive hormones in the urine of female southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons). General and Comparative Endocrinology, 252, 130-141.
Scopus5 Europe PMC32016 Swinbourne, A. M., Johnston, S. D., Janssen, T., Lisle, A., Keeley, T., & Phillips, C. J. C. (2016). Olfactory behavioural responses in captive male southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) exposed to oestrous and non-oestrous urine samples. Australian Journal of Zoology, 64(6), 395-401.
Scopus12015 Swinbourne, A., Janssen, T., Phillips, C., & Johnston, S. (2015). Non-invasive urine collection in the female southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) with the aid of classical conditioning. Zoo Biology, 34(1), 89-93.
Scopus7 Europe PMC32014 Swinbourne, A., Kelly, J., Kind, K., Kennaway, D., & van Wettere, W. (2014). The effects of season and moderate nutritional restriction on ovarian function and oocyte nuclear maturation in cycling gilts. Theriogenology, 82(9), 1303-1309.
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Conference Items
Year Citation 2018 Swinbourne, A. M., Phillips, C. J. C., Janssen, T., Lisle, A., Keeley, T., & Johnston, S. D. (2018). Urine as a tool to identify and monitor oestrous in captive female southern hairy-nosed wombats. Poster session presented at the meeting of Wombats Through Space and Time. The University of Adelaide. 2018 Keeley, T., Janssen, T., Swinbourne, A., Ho, L., Shritri, S., & Johnston, S. D. (2018). In search for a non-invasive pregnancy test for marsupials: the southern hairy-nosed wombat as a model species. Poster session presented at the meeting of Wombats Through Space and Time. The University of Adelaide. 2018 Keeley, T., Janssen, T., Swinbourne, A., Ho, L., Shritri, S., & Johnston, S. D. (2018). In search for a non-invasive pregnancy test for marsupials: the southern hairy-nosed wombat as a model species. Poster session presented at the meeting of Wombats Through Space and Time. The University of Adelaide. 2018 Johnston, S. D., Janssen, T., Brooks, P., Hogan, L., Swinbourne, A., Du, Z., . . . Keeley, T. (2018). The development of breeding technology in captive wombats. Poster session presented at the meeting of Wombats Through Space and Time. The University of Adelaide. 2018 Swinbourne, A. M., Flinn, T., McCarthy, N., Kelly, J., Gatford, K., Kind, K., . . . Van Wettere, W. (2018). The effects of maternal melatonin supplementation on blood glucose and thermoregulation in neonatal lambs. Poster session presented at the meeting of The Joint Annual Scientific Meetings of the Endocrine Society of Australia and the Society for Reproductive Biology. 2018 Flinn, T., Swinbourne, A., McCarthy, N., Kelly, J., Gatford, K., Kind, K., . . . Van Wettere, W. (2018). The effects of maternal melatonin supplementation in mid to late gestating singleton and twin-bearing merino ewes on growth parameters at birth. Poster session presented at the meeting of The Joint Annual Scientific Meetings of the Endocrine Society of Australia and the Society for Reproductive Biology. Adelaide, South Australia. 2018 Flinn, T., Swinbourne, A., McCarthy, N., Kelly, J., Gatford, K., Kind, K., . . . Van Wettere, W. (2018). The effects of maternal melatonin supplementation in mid to late gestating singleton and twin-bearing merino ewes on growth parameters at birth. Poster session presented at the meeting of The Joint Annual Scientific Meetings of the Endocrine Society of Australia and the Society for Reproductive Biology. Adelaide, South Australia. 2017 Swinbourne, A. M., Johnston, S. D., Janssen, T., & Keeley, T. (2017). Variability of the oestrous cycle in captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) as measured by urinary progesterone metabolites. Poster session presented at the meeting of 12th International Mammalogical Congress. Perth, Western Australia. 2016 Swinbourne, A. M., Janssen, T., Keeley, T., Johnston, S. D., & Phillips, C. J. C. (2016). Breeding behaviour of captive female southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons). Poster session presented at the meeting of 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting and Symposium of the Australian Mammal Society. Alice Spring, Northern Territory, Australia. 2015 Swinbourne, A. M., Janssen, T., Johnston, S. D., & Keeley, T. (2015). The measurement of female reproductive steroid hormones in marsupial urine. Poster session presented at the meeting of International Society of Wildlife Endocrinology 2015 Conference Proceedings. Berlin, Germany. 2015 Swinbourne, A. M., Janssen, T., Johnston, S. D., & Keeley, T. (2015). Gonadotrophin releasing hormone challenge for the validation and analysis of luteinizing hormone in non-invasive urine samples from captive female southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons). Poster session presented at the meeting of Endocrine Society Australian and Society of Reproductive Biology 2015 Conference Proceedings. Adelaide , South Australia. 2015 Swinbourne, A. M., Janssen, T., Phillips, C. J. C., Keeley, T., & Johnson, S. D. (2015). Differentiation of the flehmen response in six captive male southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) exposed to oestrous and non-oestrous urine sample. Poster session presented at the meeting of 61st Australian Mammal Society Scientific Meeting. Hobart, Tasmania. Australia. 2013 Swinbourne, A. M., Kelly, J., Kind, K., Kennaway, D., & Van Wettere, W. (2013). The effects of season and moderate feed restriction on oocyte developmental competence in cycling gilts. Poster session presented at the meeting of 14th Australasian Pig Science Association Manipulating Pig Production 2013 Conference. Melbourne, Victoria. Australia.
The University of Adelaide Collaboration Grant. 2018
The Society of Reproductive Biology Early Career Researcher Collaboration Grant. 2018
UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Science International Travel Grant. 2016
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Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2021 Co-Supervisor Understanding the impact of ewe metabolic state on parturition duration and the incidence of dystocia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Amy Laurel Munn 2020 Co-Supervisor Evaluating heat stress in Merino ewes Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Bobbie Emilia Lewis Baida 2019 Co-Supervisor Colostrum Quality in Merino Ewes Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Bianca Agenbag
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Memberships
Date Role Membership Country 2016 - ongoing Member National History Society of South Australia Australia 2015 - ongoing Member International Society of Wildife Endocrinology Australia 2015 - ongoing Member Australian Mammal Society Australia 2015 - ongoing Member Soeiety of Reproductive Biology Australia
Connect With Me
External Profiles