Colette Blyth
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
I find my self most drawn to the application of science into management and practice, working directly with practitioners to close the gap between research and on-ground actions. I received my PhD from the University of Adelaide in January 2022, and I currently hold a duel position as a postdoc within the Environment Institute and as the project coordinator for DivSeek International Regional Hub for Australasia.
My current research is focused mainly on integrating genomics into restoration and conservation. I am working on a number of projects which analyse the variation of genetic diversity within threatened non-model plant species. I use this information to directly inform practitioners where to collect seed for conservation and revegetation projects to improve outcomes under environmental change.
In my position as project coordinator for DivSeek International Regional Hub for Australasia, I am responsible for planning, managing, and delivering a large-scale survey of plant genetic resources in Australia to develop a resource sharing tool for the scientific community. In this role, I have developed a comprehensive survey of genetic resources with leading researchers, and proactively communicate with various stakeholders which is currently underway.
I've had a varied career, starting out in practical conservation work in Scotland over a decade ago. I've since travelled and worked as a research assistant for various groups on projects ranging from ecosystem services in the Australian Wheat Belt (e.g., carbon sequestration) provided by agricultural restoration, to quantifying pollen deposition of native invertebrates of Israel. I have also held a number of positions outside of academia in practical conservation and horticulture.
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Journals
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Conference Items
Year Citation 2018 Hurren, A., Blyth, C., Mason, A., Cleeves, R., & Breed, M. F. (2018). Securing Silver Daisy – collaborative action to build resilience in a threatened daisy. Poster session presented at the meeting of 12th Australasian Plant Conservation Conference.
Bioplatforms Australia – Threatened Species Initiative partnership. Alongside Professor Andy Lowe, I have secured a partnership with Bioplatforms Australia to work on the conservation genomics of several threatened Australian plant species. 2021 – ongoing.
Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment – Defining restoration seed zones in the climate change era. 2018 – 2021.
Nature Foundation of South Australia PhD/Masters Scholarship Grant – Defining restoration seed zones with genomics, 2017.
Animal Identification II (ENV BIOL 2520) - Arid Recovery Field Camp (2021)
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External Profiles