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RIEL outreach

RIEL seminar series

Lecture room with audience and seminar in progress

The annual RIEL Seminar Series presents exciting new research findings and updates on environmental sciences. Our presenters include a wide range of researchers from RIEL and CDU, as well as representatives of other universities and other research organisations.

Most seminars are available both in person – at CDU's Casuarina Campus – and online via Zoom. Students, staff, and the public are all welcome.

In 2025, the RIEL Seminar Series will be held at 9.15am‑10.15am on Fridays, on an approximately fortnightly basis from March to November. The list of upcoming seminars below will be updated as future speakers are confirmed.

Contact the team at RIEL.Outreach@cdu.edu.au to propose a seminar topic or to find out more.

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch videos of our seminars as they are uploaded.

Upcoming seminars

DateTitlePresenterInformation
1 Aug 2025Savanna fire and biodiversity: findings from a long-term field experimentProf Alan Andersen (Charles Darwin University)More information
15 Aug 2025Molecular entomology in species conservation, management and beyondDr Sonu Yadav (NT Department of Agriculture and Fisheries)More information
29 Aug 2025Informing conservation planning for threatened river sharksJulia Constance (Charles Darwin University)More information
12 Sept 2025An eDNA/Omics Strategy for the Ranger Uranium MineDr Andrew Harford (Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist) 

Past seminars

Title and presenterDateRecording
Applying pyrogeography to achieve sustainable coexistence with wildfire by Prof David Bowman (Fire Centre)27 June 2025YouTube video
Machine learning and Traditional Knowledge to map wetland change by Porni Mollick (Charles Darwin University)13 June 2025No video
After the volcano: building a field station in Montserrat, West Indies by Dr Sarah Snyder (Bard College at Simon's Rock)30 May 2025YouTube video
Ecosystem services and emerging market opportunities by Assoc Prof Kamalijit K. Sangha16 May 2025YouTube video
The eDNA revolution: advancing biodiversity monitoring while navigating challenges by Prof Maxine Piggot2 May 2025No video available
Shark and ray conservation in northern Australia and Asia by Samuel R. Amini and Adriana Gonzalez Pestana4 April 2025YouTube video
Boring beetles and super models: mapping the distribution of a new invader by Dr Andrew Coates21 March 2025YouTube video
Groundwater: Hidden wonder of the Northern Territory by Steven Tickell (NT DLPE)7 March 2025YouTube video
2024
Title and presenterDateRecording
'Culture-based conservation' approach to supporting governance of Indigenous territories by Dr Jayson Ibañez (Philippine Eagle Foundation)22 November 2024YouTube video
Models for interpreting ecosystem change by Dr Anna Richards (CSIRO)8 November 2024YouTube video
The critical role of groundwater for wetlands in a warming world by Prof Jenny Davis25 October 2024YouTube video
Researcher perspectives on the Middle Arm industrial precinct by Stephen Enciso, Billee McGinley, and Colton Perna27 September 2024YouTube video
How can we prepare for the future and develop our regions with nature-based solutions? by Dr Ingrid Coninx (Wageningen Research)13 September 2024YouTube video
Carbon and water adventures in north Australia by Prof Lindsay Hutley30 August 2024YouTube video
From CCTV to AI: A journey of discovery, below the surface, using cutting-edge tech by Prof Sunil Kadri16 August 2024No video
Hidden emissions: Greenhouse gases from tropical freshwaters by Dr Clément Duvert2 August 2024YouTube video
Why Darwin is the air pollution capital of Australia: Unpacking human health and savanna fire management trade-offs by Prof David Bowman and Prof Fay Johnston19 July 2024YouTube video
'Calling the wind': Blue whales, climate and whale tourism in Timor-Leste by Prof Karen Edyvane (Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e)7 July 2024YouTube video
Marine megafauna research across the remotest sea country in the NT by Natalie Robson and Dr Carol Palmer28 June 2024YouTube video
Understanding the movement and dispersal of saltwater crocodiles around Australia by Yusuke Fukuda7 June 2024YouTube video
Loss of Earth’s old, wise and large animals by Dr Keller Kopf24 May 2024YouTube video
A biome approach to plot-based vegetation classification in northern Australia Dr Donna Lewis10 May 2024YouTube video
Host–pathogen–microbiome interactions: A look at tortoises and songbirds Dr Chava Weitzman19 April 2024No video
Spectacled flying-foxes: A Wet Tropics specialist and endangered keystone species Dr Noel Preece5 April 2024YouTube video
Unveiling the hidden world below: Nematodes in agriculture Dr Yujuan (Jady) Li15 March 2024No video
Research to support biodiversity and sustainable management of fisheries resources in the NT Dr Jo Randall, Dr Brien Roberts and Eliza Kimlin (NT Fisheries)1 March 2024YouTube video
So, you want to use AI to assist your research? A discussion on what works and what doesn’t Dr Dylan Irvine16 February 2024YouTube video
The world is your oyster, when oysters are your world Dr Samantha Nowland2 February 2024YouTube video
2023
Title and presenterDateRecording
Chytridiomycosis and the mechanism of skin disruption Dr Nicholas Wu (Western Sydney University)24 November 2023YouTube video
Monitoring threats to Australian threatened birds By Prof Stephen Garnett17 November 2023YouTube video
LiDAR remote sensing of riparian vegetation: Deriving structural and functional tree information By Dr Rafael Bohn Reckziegel10 November 2023YouTube video
Impact of fortified biochar on sustainable food crop production and income generation in a vegetable-rice cropping sequence in Timor-Leste By Acacio da Costa Guterres3 November 2023YouTube video
Ground-level governance of Arnhem Land Fire Abatement savanna burning projects: fire for the future By Taegan Calnan3 November 2023No video
Conservation benefit-sharing framework in the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem, Tanzania By Juma Kegamba27 October 2023YouTube video
Groundwater dependent ecosystems By Dr Tanya Doody (CSIRO)27 October 2023YouTube video
The Water Towers Project in Moneragala District, Sri LankaBy Dr Kamy Melvani20 October 2023No video
Habitat Use and Genetics of Foraging Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Top End By Natalie Robson22 September 2023YouTube video
Spatial analysis for planning ecological sustainable development of utility-scale solar and wind energy in the Northern Territory By Billee McGinley22 September 2023YouTube video
Behavioural and conservation ecology of purple-crowned fairy wrens By Dr Nikki Teunissen21 September 2023YouTube video
Seasonal Change Causes Shifts in Water Loss, but not Preferred Temperatures, of Top End Geckos By Kade Skelton8 September 2023YouTube video
Estimation of soil suction from leaf temperature using UAVs By Associate Professor Atsushi Sakaguchi (Ibaraki University, Japan)1 September 2023 
Mountain plant diversity in the Anthropocene (Online only) By Professor Jian Zhang (East China Normal University)25 August 2023YouTube video
Positive welfare: the next step for farmed fish By Prof. Sunil Kadri11 August 2023YouTube video
Short talk: Evaporative water loss in cane toads of the world By Prof. Keith Christian14 July 2023YouTube video
Short talk: Linking terrestrial-aquatic carbon fluxes to rectify the Australian carbon balance By Dr Francesco Ulloa14 July 2023YouTube video
The importance of arid zone waterholes for terrestrial wildlife in a warming world By Prof. Jenny Davis30 June 2023YouTube video
Research and development to improve smallholder livelihoods in Timor-Leste: What research questions should we ask? By Prof. Andrew McWilliam, Marcia Exposto e Silva, and Dr Leigh Vial9 June 2023YouTube video
Are there useful generalisations about climate change & physiological plasticity? By Prof. Keith Christian2 June 2023YouTube video
Australia's State of the Climate By Blair Trewin (Bureau of Meteorology)26 May 2023YouTube video
HDR talks By Alex Carey and Angga Rachmansah19 May 2023 
Inspiring Science – Opportunities in Science Engagement and Outreach in the NT and beyond By Dr Carla Eisemberg5 May 2023YouTube video
Species discovery and conservation priority in the Australian Monsoonal Tropics By Craig Moritz (ANU)27 April 2023No video
Kruger National Park: The RIEL experience By Alan Andersen, Ellen Rochelmeyer, Angga Rachmansah, Allyson Malpartida and François Brassard21 April 2023No video
Friends or foes? The social behaviours and system of estuarine crocodiles By Dr Cameron Baker24 March 2023YouTube video
From a single tree to ecosystem-atmosphere feedbacks: the use of thermal remote sensing for tree physiology research By Pavel Alekseychik PhD24 February 2023YouTube video
2022
Title and presenterDateRecording
Fish and floodplains: drivers of barramundi migration in the Top End By Dr Brien Roberts4 November 2022YouTube video
Aligning your research for public policy impact By Dr Guzyal Hill21 October 2022YouTube video
Evolution of the Darwin Harbour Numerical Model By Dr Hemerson Tonin and Carlos Simão6 October 2022 
Sniffing out citrus canker and beyond By Dr Vinuthaa Murthy and Dr Hao Wang30 September 2022 
Monitoring Australia's Ecosystems - TERN's field program By A/Prof. Ben Sparrow (TERN)14 September 2022Youtube video
Tentegia – the world’s only dung-rolling weevils By Rolf Oberprieler, Hermes Escalona and Debbie Jennings2 September 2022Youtube video
Blue Ventures joint seminar By Jenny House and colleagues from Timor-Leste1 September 2022Youtube video
The vibrios: barometers of climate change – bacteria that love heat waves and monsoons By Dr Anna Padovan and Prof Karen Gibb26 August 2022Youtube video
Special RIEL seminar: Fire, rain and CO2 - potential drivers of savanna woody thickening By PhD candidate Greg Barber11 August 2022Youtube video
Results of Mangrove Forest Landscape Rehabilitation (MFLR) Opportunity Assessment in Indonesia and their Influence on Policy & Practice By Dr Benjamin M. Brown29 July 2022Youtube video
Burkholderia pseudomallei in the environment of the Top End – we have only scratched the surface By Dr Mirjam Kaestli (RIEL, Menzies School of Health Research)15 July 2022 
From Darwin Harbour report cards to recycling pee on parklands: snapshots of current research by a visiting scholar from "sunny" Queensland By A/Prof Cara Beal
(Griffith University)		3 June 2022Youtube video
Recent increase in Northern Australian streamflow unmatched over the past 600 years By Phillipa Higgins20 May 2022 
A conversation about an ethical conundrum By Prof Stephen Garnett6 May 2022No video
Arrows on Maps: Five decades of angler-driven gamefish tagging in Australia By Dr Julian Pepperell22 April 2022Youtube video
The Science of Beer By Dr Dylan Irvine8 April 2022Youtube video
TERN it up: monitoring mass and energy exchanges from savanna landscapes of the NT By Prof. Lindsay Hutley25 March 2022Youtube video
A potpourri of parasites: tales from a wandering parasitologist By Dr. Diane Barton (Charles Sturt University)11 March 2022Youtube video
Groundwater sources for the Mataranka Springs By Dr. Sebastien Lamontagne (CSIRO)25 February 2022Youtube video
ARC funded Marine Megafauna Project - First Year Summary (Mid-March to December 2021) By Dr Carol Palmer28 January 2022Youtube video
2021
Title and presenterDateRecording
The habitat requirements and potential threats of the endangered Alligator Rivers Yellow Chat Epthianura rocea tunneyi. By Robin Leppitt26 November 2021Youtube video
Black jewfish: drivers of productivity in a changing environment By Dr Joanne Randall12 November 2021Youtube video
Using technology to monitor and evaluate the restoration of Ranger uranium mine by Dave Loewensteiner (Supervising Scientist)29 October 2021Youtube video
Developing effective and equitable conservation benefit-sharing mechanisms for local peoples in the Great Serengeti Ecosystem, Tanzania by Juma Kegamba15 October 2021No video
Plot-based vegetation classification in the Northern Territory and compatibility with National and International classification frameworks, and an introduction to the TERN Ecosystem Surveillance Program by Dr Donna Lewis - NT Herbarium1 October 2021Youtube video
Behind the Blue Curtain: A look at Australia’s Blue Carbon methodology by Prof. Catherine Lovelock29 September 2021Youtube video
Can Australia’s savanna burning emissions methods be applied in southern Africa? by Dr Jeremy Russell-Smith17 September 2021No video
Biting Midges in Australia by Dr Glenn Bellis3 September 2021Youtube video
Bio-security in Northern Australia by Dr Mark Gardener (NAQS)27 August 2021No video
Untangling the knot of "Wilderness" conservation Post-2020 By Katharina-Victoria Perez-Hammerle6 August 2021Youtube video
Picture a scientist (Video screening. Full video is available on Netflix.)30 July 2021Trailer
Gender research at RIEL: the case for considering gender in environmental researchBy Emily Gibson, Jenny House, Gianna Bonis-Profumo, Natasha Stacey9 July 2021YouTube video
Trends in European freshwater fish populations and implementation of ecological risk assessment methodologies in monitoring programsBy Dr Raphael Santos25 June 2021YouTube video
What are Ecosystem Services? By Kamaljit Sangha11 June 2021YouTube video
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