Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
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westsyduhie.bsky.social
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
@westsyduhie.bsky.social
130 followers 47 following 64 posts
Established by Western Sydney University in 2011, our fundamental and applied research is providing innovative solutions for protecting the environment, preserving biodiversity, ensuring food security, and sustainable use of natural resources.
Posts Replies Media Videos
westsyduhie.bsky.social
We could soon be able to track changes in Australia’s forests in near-real time – using satellites
shorturl.at/ah6Ne
@profchoat.bsky.social @bmedlyn.bsky.social
@westernsydneyu.bsky.social @arc-gov-au.bsky.social
We could soon be able to track changes in Australia’s forests in near-real time – using satellites
Collecting data from sensors in remote woodlands has long required arduous treks. What if sensors could transmit data in real time?
theconversation.com
September 21, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Reposted by Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
bmedlyn.bsky.social
First results from the P fertilisation of the EucFACE experiment are out - and they are pretty intriguing! Congrats to PhD student Min Zhao for leading this effort @newphyt.bsky.social @westsyduhie.bsky.social
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Phosphorus addition shifts elevated <fc>CO<sub>2</sub></fc> effects on soil respiration from rhizosphere to root pathways in a mature eucalypt woodland
Summary diagram of the utilization of additional carbohydrates fixed under elevated CO2 belowground in natural low-phosphorus (P) (a) and P-fertilized (b) conditions. Soil respiration consists of het...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 4, 2026 at 11:55 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
More than 5,000 little penguins will soon be vaccinated in a proactive effort to protect vulnerable colonies and strengthen long‑term conservation outcomes.
Read more: theconversation.com/more-than-5-...
@westernsydneyu.bsky.social
@womsat.bsky.social
August 21, 2026 at 2:44 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
New research led by @westernsydneyu.bsky.social researchers has uncovered the science behind the striking colour of #australianmangoes 🍋🥭, providing valuable insights into fruit pigmentation and quality.
Read more: shorturl.at/8HEa9
August 6, 2026 at 6:14 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
How can microbes help protect crops? 🌱
PhD candidate Aastha Ranjan is tackling gummy stem blight in glasshouse cucurbits with innovative, sustainable solutions.
🎥 Watch the spotlight: youtu.be/FVuChJWZlgw?...
@fungidownunder.bsky.social #FutureFoodSystems #gummystemblight #microbes
‘Gummy stem blight control in glasshouse cucurbits’ with Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Plett & Aastha Ranjan
YouTube video by Future Food Systems
youtu.be
June 25, 2026 at 3:57 AM
Reposted by Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
prof-braj-singh.bsky.social
New paper from the lab in @NatureComms

Aridity-related differences in soil elemental ratios reshape microbial functional traits across global biomes

A framework on how climate may reorganize microbial metabolism & consequences for C & nutrient cycling.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🌐
June 24, 2026 at 4:02 AM
Reposted by Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
lyrebirdlab.bsky.social
Funded #PhD scholarship: Vocal mimicry in toothbilled bowerbirds @westsyduhie.bsky.social with @animalecolab.bsky.social
@drbackhouse.bsky.social
@pec-exeter.bsky.social
Closes: 31 July 2026 More info tinyurl.com/2axjy7pn
Lithograph of the Tooth-billed Bowerbird
June 4, 2026 at 1:30 AM
Reposted by Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
bmedlyn.bsky.social
I am hiring! My former postdocs have all gone on to great ongoing roles, so I am now looking for 2 new postdocs in dynamic vegetation modelling:
Modelling vegetation-fire interactions in Australia
Modelling Australian vegetation distributions

Details linked below - please share!
June 22, 2026 at 5:30 AM
Reposted by Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
bmedlyn.bsky.social
PhD position available: Predicting impacts of extreme heat on Australian forests

The world is heating up and forests are starting to show the effects. Like maths? Love trees? Apply your skills to help understand and adapt vegetation to heat extremes!

www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
Infra-red image of trees in whole-tree chambers during a heatwave
June 22, 2026 at 5:38 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
Rainforests protect our climate, our biodiversity, our future. They are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the life that sustains us. So, on this World Rainforest Day, we remember: caring for forests is caring for humanity.
#TheForestWithinYou #WorldRainforestDay #ProtectWhatSustainsYou
June 22, 2026 at 6:36 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
WSU is seeking a Technical Coordinator to help run the iconic EucFACE site. Work with leading researchers on climate & environmental science, supporting world-class outdoor facilities.

Unique technical leadership role with real-world impact.

Apply 👉 au.smrtr.io/hq_X

Closes 14 June 2026
May 28, 2026 at 12:53 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
A PhD focused on tooth-billed bowerbirds – exploring their unique behaviour and rainforest ecology.
Perfect for anyone passionate about Australian wildlife research 🐦🌱 Hurry - closes 31 May!
Details here:
www.animalecologylab.org/phd-project-...
May 28, 2026 at 12:26 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
Excited to share that Western Sydney University researchers have collectively secured $2.9M+ in ARC Linkage funding!
A strong endorsement of collaboration, innovation, and real-world impact!
@westernsydneyu.bsky.social
May 26, 2026 at 5:59 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
Exploring functional restructuring of the global soil microbiome 🌱—why it matters for ecosystems, climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture.
Read more: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@prof-braj-singh.bsky.social @nature.com
Functional restructuring of the global soil microbiome under multiple stressors - Nature Communications
Soil microbes drive ecosystem functions but are vulnerable to environmental stressors triggered by global change. This study reveals that multiple environmental stressors drive community-level restruc...
www.nature.com
May 26, 2026 at 5:52 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
Today is #NationalSorryDay. A day to listen and remember. We stand with the Stolen Generations survivors, their families, and communities. We honour your strength and connection to Country.
We are sorry.
youtu.be/aKWfiFp24rA
#SorryDay2026 #StolenGenerations #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #HealingTogether
May 26, 2026 at 2:27 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
Bees are important to crops with nearly two-thirds of Australian agriculture production benefitting from pollination.
Without bees, food security is at risk.
We need bees.

Find out more at: www.worldbeeday.org.au/we-need-bees/ #Bees #Pollinators #WeNeedBees #AustralianBees #WorldBeeDayAus
May 20, 2026 at 12:55 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
The NSW Decarb Innovation Hub has announced the recipients of its LPIN #PhD Top-Up Grants, supporting emerging researchers delivering practical, low-emission solutions across #NSW.

👉 Read more: www.decarbhub.au/phd-grants-2...
#NSWDecarbHub #Decarbonisation #ClimateAction #CleanEnergy
May 13, 2026 at 3:23 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
The #KoalaSentinelProgram is boosting our understanding of #koalahealth across NSW. A/Prof Ben Moore and his @westernsydneyu.bsky.social team, incl. PhD student Maria-Beatrix Almeida, are exploring how diet impacts koala wellbeing.
Findings are shaping smarter conservation.
Watch: lnkd.in/gYVTAhu7
May 11, 2026 at 4:58 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
A new greenhouse film is delivering impressive results — reducing energy use by ~10% without compromising capsicum yield.

Learn more: lnkd.in/gn5PSVC4

#NVPCC #ProtectedCropping #SMARTgreenhouse
#futurefoodsystems #FFSCRC

@westernsydneyu.bsky.social
May 6, 2026 at 5:47 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
Recently published research highlights the urgent need to explicitly integrate soil health into conservation policies
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

@westernsydneyu.bsky.social #Sustainability #ResearchImpact #ClimateScience #SoilHealth @prof-braj-singh.bsky.social
Uncertain role of conservation areas to protect soil biodiversity and functioning
Soil biodiversity and functioning are the foundation of ecosystem sustainability, but we do not know whether current nature conservation areas are eff…
www.sciencedirect.com
April 21, 2026 at 12:50 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
Once considered pests, new research data suggests that flying foxes help create hundreds of millions of dollars a year in revenue to the Australian economy.

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/s...

@lyrebirdlab.bsky.social #animalecologylab #flyingfox #batlab
@westernsydneyu.bsky.social
We’ve Been Underestimating Flying Foxes
www.nytimes.com
March 27, 2026 at 7:57 AM
Reposted by Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
frewecologist.bsky.social
Postdoc (2 years) in mycorrhizal fungal biogeography & species distribution modelling @umeaplantsciencecentre.se
Work with large-scale metabarcoding data and modelling.

Deadline is 30th April
www.umu.se/en/work-with...
Postdoctoral scholarship (2 years) in mycorrhizal biogeography and species distribution modelling
www.umu.se
March 23, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Reposted by Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
wcrpclimate.bsky.social
Call for abstracts!

Join us at the European Meteorological Society Annual Meeting 2026 in Utrecht for the session “High-impact climate extremes: physical understanding, storylines, impacts and projections.”

🗓 Deadline: 27 March 2026
🔗 https://loom.ly/FUx2zMs
March 23, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
prof-braj-singh.bsky.social
In a new paper in Nature Communications
- we
1. provide first global map of dominant bacterial plant pathogens
2. show microbial diversity, SOC, some Streptomyces, AM fungi linked to low pathogen prevalence
3. Many pathogens to increase under future climates

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
March 16, 2026 at 5:34 AM
westsyduhie.bsky.social
🎉 Congrats @prof-braj-singh.bsky.social; recently appointed Fellow of #EAMmicro! Well‑deserved recognition of his outstanding contributions to #environmentalmicrobiology & #globalresearch leadership🌍🔬
fems-microbiology.org/european-aca...
@westernsydneyu.bsky.social
#EAMFellows #ResearchExcellence
Fellows
The European Academy of Microbiology (EAM) proudly brings together a distinguished community of leading scientists whose contributions have shaped and advanced the field of microbiology. Below, you wi...
fems-microbiology.org
March 23, 2026 at 3:59 AM