Dr Vhon Oliver Garcia
Grant-Funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Biological Sciences
College of Sciences
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Vhon's research primarily focuses on evolution and population genomics of sea snakes. He completed his PhD at the University of Queensland (Australia) and is currently involved in various sea snake projects both in Australia (Exmouth Gulf, Shark Bay, Mardie, and Dampier Marine Park) and abroad (Philippines). Part of his work in the Philippines was on the rare and endemic Lake Taal sea snake (Hydrophis semperi), one of only two known freshwater species of sea snake in the world, where he also engaged in scientific communication with local fisherfolk particularly on issues related to human-sea snake conflict. His present postdoctoral research collaborates closely with government and industry partners to establish a mark-recapture program and develop distribution models for sea snakes in Australia.
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| Filipino; Pilipino | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 - 2023 | University of Queensland | Australia | PhD |
| 2014 - 2016 | University of Guelph | Canada | MSc in Integrative Biology |
| 2011 - 2013 | University of Santo Tomas | Philippines | MSc in Biological Sciences |
| 2007 - 2011 | University of Santo Tomas | Philippines | BSc in Biology |
| Date | Title | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Advanced Venomous Snake Handling and Husbandry Course | Australian School of Herpetology | - |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Garcia, V. O., Riginos, C., Blomberg, S., & Cook, L. G. (2025). Using a null hypothesis framework to test expectations of disparity in an adaptive radiation.. R Soc Open Sci, 12(10), 250353. |
| 2024 | Riginos, C., Popovic, I., Meziere, Z., Garcia, V., Byrne, I., Howitt, S. M., . . . Prata, K. E. (2024). Cryptic species and hybridisation in corals: challenges and opportunities for conservation and restoration. Peer Community Journal, 4. Scopus11 |
| 2022 | Garcia, V. O. S., Riginos, C., & Lukoschek, V. (2022). Can sea snakes slither through seascape structure? Comparative phylogeography and population genetics of Hydrophis group sea snakes in Australia and Southeast Asia. Frontiers of Biogeography, 14(3), 18 pages. Scopus2 WoS2 |
| 2017 | Garcia, V. O., Papa, R. D., & Diesmos, A. (2017). Hydrophis semperi (Lake Taal Sea Snake) Behavior.. Herpetological Review, 48(3), 673. |
| 2017 | Garcia, V. O. S., Ivy, C., & Fu, J. (2017). Syntopic frogs reveal different patterns of interaction with the landscape: A comparative landscape genetic study of Pelophylax nigromaculatus and Fejervarya limnocharis from central China. Ecology and Evolution, 7(22), 9294-9306. Scopus20 WoS21 Europe PMC5 |
| 2014 | Garcia, V. O. S., Papa, R. D. S., Briones, J. C. A., Mendoza, N., Okuda, N., & Diesmos, A. C. (2014). Food Habits and Distribution of the Lake Taal Sea Snake (<i>Hydrophis semperi</i> Garman 1881) and the Sympatric Little File Snake (<i>Acrochordus granulatus</i> Schneider 1799) in Lake Taal, Philippines. ASIAN HERPETOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 5(4), 255-262. WoS5 |
| 2011 | Mcleod, D. S., Siler, C. D., Diesmos, A. C., Diesmos, M. L., Garcia, V. S., Arkonceo, A. O., . . . Brown, R. M. (2011). Amphibians and Reptiles of Luzon Island, V: The Herpetofauna of Angat Dam Watershed, Bulacan Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. ASIAN HERPETOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2(4), 177-198. WoS26 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| - | Garcia, V. (n.d.). On the macroevolution, biogeography, and evolutionary history of an adaptive radiation in sea snakes. |
| 2025 | Early/Mid-Career Research Association (EMCRA) Research Grant, The University of Adelaide (Australia) |
| 2019 |
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship-Doctoral (PGS-D) (Canada) The University of Queensland Research Training Scholarship (Australia) |
| 2014 | Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) Program (Canada) |
| 2012 | Rufford Small Grant for Nature Conservation, Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation. Biology and Conservation Ecology of the Endemic Lake Taal Sea Snake, Hydrophis semperi (United Kingdom) |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | The Spatial Ecology of Australian Elapid Snakes | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Laura Rose Murray |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | The Spatial Ecology of Australian Elapid Snakes | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Laura Rose Murray |
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