Originally from Western Australia, Professor Brett Murphy completed his PhD studies into the fire ecology of kangaroos at Charles Darwin University. Upon completion, he worked for Bushfires NT, before taking on postdoctoral roles at the University of Tasmania, South Dakota State University and the University of Melbourne.
Brett returned to Darwin in 2015 to join CDU’s Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods. He is a Senior Research Fellow in the Savanna Wildlife Research and Conservation Management group.
Brett’s research broadly deals with how fire has shaped and maintains the biota of Australia’s tropical savanna landscapes. He also investigates how contemporary fire regimes can best be managed for biodiversity conservation, especially in relation to declining small mammal and fire-sensitive vegetation communities.
His specialised research interests involve studying the impact of inappropriate fire regimes on northern Australia’s declining small mammal populations, as well as vegetation communities. He also investigates the effectiveness of prescribed burning as a management tool in northern Australian savannas, and the environmental controls of fire regimes throughout Australia and the likely impacts of global environmental change.
Prospective students with interests in those topics above are encouraged to contact Professor Brett Murphy for further information.