Francis Nge

Francis Nge

School of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Francis is an evolutionary biologist and plant systematist, interested in macroevolutionary patterns and processes across different scales in time and space. Francis’ main research interests include understanding the drivers and mechanisms that have resulted in the uneven distribution of earth’s biodiversity across the Tree of Life. Particularly, he is interested in region-specific diversification dynamics, and understanding the origins and evolution of the Australian flora, as well as tropical rainforest systems.

He engages in interdisciplinary research, and incorporates different approaches across the fields of evolutionary biology, systematics, taxonomy, biogeography, ecology, and physiology to address fundamental questions of biology. 

Francis completed his PhD degree (2021) at the University of Adelaide, as part of Michelle Waycott's lab and in association with the State Herbarium of South Australia. In this role, Francis had a research interest in the macro-evolution and systematics of the Australian flora including a selected focus on plant-traits evolution, phylogenomics, biogeography, and phylogeography. His research in plant systematics focuses on a broad range of taxonomic plant groups including Proteaceae, Myrtaceae, and Rhamnaceae.

Francis still maintain active and ongoing research collaborative links with colleagues at the University of Adelaide and State Herbarium of South Australia.

Francis is currently a Systematic Botanist Research Scientist at the National Herbarium of New South Wales, in the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Australia.

 

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2017 - 2021 University of Adelaide Australia PhD
    2013 - 2016 The University of Western Australia Australia BSc. (Hons)

Francis has been awarded more than $49,000 in funding through six different competitive student grants in assisting his PhD research. He has also received a number of awards, including a $1500 ABRS international travel grant, three poster prizes, and 3Minute Talk winner at UoA.

2021                                                                                                                              

  • Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment Grant, Ecological Society of Australia ($6695)
  • Hansjörg Eichler Scientific Research Fund, Australasian Systematic Botany Society ($5000) on the systematics, evolution, and diversification of Isopogon-Petrophile (Proteaceae) and allies

2019                                                                                                                              

  • Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment Grant, Ecological Society of Australia ($6570)
  • Lirabenda Endowment Fund Research Grant, Field Naturalists Society of South Australia ($2956)
  • Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) Student Travel Grant ($1500)

2018

  • Hansjörg Eichler Scientific Research Fund, Australasian Systematic Botany Society ($5000) on species delimitation in Banksia (Proteaceae): revisiting the unified species concept                         
  • National Taxonomy Research Grant on Rhamnaceae, Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS); listed as primary PhD student involved in the project ($210,000)
  • Plant Systematics PhD Grant, South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources ($23,000)

Francis has six years of experience in teaching, having been involved in teaching undergraduate courses at two different universities, with a focus on plant systematics and evolution.

2021

Demonstrator in the Botany II course (ENV BIOL 2500) at the University of Adelaide.

2020

Demonstrator in the intensive Plant Identification course (ENV BIOL 2510) at the University of Adelaide.

2019   

Demonstrator in the Plant II course (ENV BIOL 2500) at the University of Adelaide.                                                                                                                                      

2018                                                                                                                                                            

Demonstrator in the Evolutionary Biology III course (ENV BIOL 3590) at the University of Adelaide.   

Demonstrator in the intensive Plant Identification course (ENV BIOL 2510) at the University of Adelaide.

2017

Demonstrator in the intensive Plant Identification course (ENV BIOL 2510) at the University of Adelaide.

2016

Demonstrator during the field trip of the 3rd year Plant Eco-physiology course (PLNT3301) at the University of Western Australia.

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2021 - ongoing Member Ecological Society of Australia Australia
    2021 - ongoing Member Society of Systematic Biologists United States
    2021 - ongoing Member Society for the Study of Evolution United States
    2021 - ongoing Member Botanical Society of America United States
    2020 - ongoing Member The Systematics Association United Kingdom
    2019 - ongoing Member Biological Society of South Australia Australia
    2019 - ongoing Member School of Biological Sciences Postgraduate association Australia
    2016 - ongoing Member Australian Systematic Botany Society Australia
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