Melodie McGeoch

Research Group

Research Fellows

• Dr David Clarke
• Dr Ben Shipley

Research Officers

• Saxbee Affleck
• Rachel Mason
• Samuel Beale

PhD Students

Accepting PhD students

• Noemie Sheppard
• Madison Farrant

Melodie McGeoch is Professor in Ecology at Monash University. She is internationally recognized for her work on the measurement and monitoring of biodiversity change, and the translation of biodiversity science for policy. Professor McGeoch is a leading scientist on biodiversity measurement and indicators, with more than 200 publications and 20 years of experience working across ecological theory, protected areas, systems impacted by climate change, and biological invasions. Melodie is also a Chief Investigator and Theme Lead of the ARC Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future Special Research Initiative.

Melodie’s research focuses on the ecology and conservation of populations and communities. Her interests extend from quantifying and modelling the abundance and distribution of species to global change impacts on protected areas. She and her research group use plant and animal populations and communities to examine the dynamics of biological invasions and the response of communities to changing environments. Other projects include the quantification and monitoring of trends in biological invasion for the purpose of informing biodiversity policy and management and the response of sub-Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems to climate change. Melodie’s published work includes the theory of biodiversity measurement, estimation and bioindication, and its application to develop robust decision support frameworks.

Research Overview

*Biodiversity science and the use thereof to advance environmental policy and solve conservation problems – including climate change impacts, biosecurity, invasive species, and sustainable information systems.
*Spatial patterns in the distribution and abundance of species and ecological communities, and how to describe, model and predict these patterns across micro- to macro scales.
*Interactive drivers of global change, and the implications of these drivers for ecological communities, including on sub-Antarctic terrestrial systems.
*The development of mapping and monitoring systems and their application in earth observations, biodiversity assessment and conservation policy.
*Theory of biodiversity measurement, estimation and bioindication, and its application to develop robust decision support frameworks.
*Improving the quality, quantity and value of biodiversity data for policy and management.

Supervision Interests

*What are the consequences of reductions in species abundance across interacting communities for the persistence of essential ecological functions?
*How will climate change alter the distribution of Antarctic terrestrial biodiversity?
*How does biodiversity change over space and time, how can we better model and predict this and what does it mean for conservation?
*How do we identify priority sites and priority species to act against the negative impacts of biological invasions?
*What approaches can be developed to make biodiversity information more relevant and accessible to decision-makers?