Thomas Prowse

Dr Thomas Prowse

Senior Lecturer

School of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


I’m a conservation ecologist who likes thinking about the processes that shape wildlife populations. This takes my research into diverse fields covering wildlife demography, movement and dispersal, genetics, disease, harvesting, and climate change. To address applied questions in conservation biology and wildlife management, I combine field studies—such as capture-mark-recapture monitoring, GPS and PIT-based animal tracking, and eDNA-based diet analysis—with a range of modelling approaches. I lead the Wildscapes Lab (https://www.wildscapeslab.org) within the School of Biological Sciences — please see my website for details of current research and PhD, Masters and Honours research opportunities.

I’m a conservation ecologist who likes thinking about the processes that shape wildlife populations. This takes my research into diverse fields covering wildlife demography, movement and dispersal, genetics, disease, harvesting, and climate change. To address applied questions in conservation biology and wildlife management, I combine field studies (e.g., capture-mark-recapture monitoring, GPS and PIT-based animal tracking, and eDNA-based diet analysis) with a range of modelling approaches. I lead the Wildscapes Lab (https://www.wildscapeslab.org) within the School of Biological Sciences — please see our website for details of current research projects and PhD, Masters and Honours student opportunities.

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2025 Co-Supervisor Molecular assessment of pathogen and parasite diversity in traded wildlife and exotic animals Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Aleena Iype
    2025 Principal Supervisor The future of birds up in the air: Understanding how vegetation change affects woodland birds in the Mount Lofty Ranges. Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Alexander Sargeant
    2025 Co-Supervisor Spatiotemporal DNA-based diet analysis and population genomics of the critically endangered southern bent-wing bat (Miniopterus orianae bassanii). Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Emily Jane Bowyer
    2025 Principal Supervisor Understanding the contribution of revegetation to woodland bird recovery to guide future restoration activities. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Daniel Glenn Markos
    2025 Co-Supervisor Assessing the value of wetlands using the contingent valuation method Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Tania Luni
    2024 Principal Supervisor Roos on the move: Understanding kangaroo movement for improved conservation management. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Kathryn Ann Bugler
    2023 Principal Supervisor Population viability and behavioural ecology of the Critically Endangered Southern Bent-wing Bat. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Nicola Bail
    2023 Co-Supervisor valuing stacked ecosystem services Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Mimi Salminah
    2020 Principal Supervisor Optimising fire and herbivore management for biodiversity conservation in temperate woodlands Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Johanna Grace Kuhne
    2019 Principal Supervisor Monitoring methods, ecology and activity of the cave roosting Southern Bent-wing Bat. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Amanda Bush
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2024 - 2025 Co-Supervisor DRIVERS OF SPRING EMERGENCE AND ABUNDANCE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SHEEP BLOWFLY LUCILIA CUPRINA (WIEDEMANN) (DIPTERA: CALLIPHORIDAE) ON KANGAROO ISLAND Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Miss Casey Rose Gove
    2021 - 2025 Co-Supervisor Investigating the scope and drivers of the global exotic pet trade in endemic Australian reptiles and amphibians Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Sebastian Chekunov
    2016 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Disease ecology of low pathogenic avian influenza in the Australian environment Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Antonia Eleanor Dalziel
    2015 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Integrated analysis of the movement and ecology of wild dingoes in the arid zone Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Jack Tatler
    2013 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Setting up camp in Adelaide: Ecological Insights into the Range Expanding Grey-Headed Flying Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time APrf Wayne Boardman
  • Other Supervision Activities

    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2018 - ongoing Co-Supervisor Population ecology of the critically endangered southern bent-wing bat Lat Trobe University Biological Sciences Doctorate Full Time Emmi van Harten
  • Editorial Boards

    Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country
    2015 - ongoing Associate Editor Wildlife Research CSIRO Publishing Australia
    2013 - ongoing Associate Editor Management of Biological Invasions REABIC Australia
  • Position: Senior Lecturer
  • Phone: 83139861
  • Email: thomas.prowse@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 83133696
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Benham, floor 1
  • Org Unit: School of Biological Sciences

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External Profiles