The Georges Lab

A specific focus of my research is on sex determination in reptiles. Sex determination has been a topic of speculation and rigorous inquiry since the time of Aristotle, and remains a hot topic today because of its intrinsic interest as a fundamental biological process, and because greater understanding brings benefits for human health. I and my colleagues Stephen Sarre and Tariq Ezaz are using frontier DNA technologies to probe the astonishingly diverse mechanisms of sex determination in reptiles.

Our studies centre on the Central Bearded Dragon Pogona vitticepts in which genotype and temperature interact to determine sex. We are expanding the scope of this work to search for underlying genetic predisposition to be one sex or the other in species traditionally regarded to have their sex determined entirely by temperature. It will provide understanding of how reptiles can cope with climate change, by providing greater understanding of which human-induced activities might be constraining them from responding in the ways in that they have in the past, and by providing a better foundation for deciding what action to take in mitigating the effects of global warming.

A second related interest is phylogeography, that is, applying DNA technologies to better understand the historical and contemporary drivers of biogeographic in the distribution of freshwater organisms, and I am always seeking interest in projects on freshwater fish and other vertebrate groups whose life histories are tied to inland waters and riparian zones. We are addressing questions of how freshwater turtles persist in arid central Australia, is there a fingerprint of Pliestocene climate change on genetic structure of freshwater turtles in the Murray-Darling basin and can we identify the refugia important for their future persistence, what is the role of the New Guinea Australia nexus in turtle speciation and tropical biodiversity, and how do we resolve challenging species boundaries issues in the face of widespread natural hybridization? We are also collaborating internationally on studies of global turtle phylogeny through the Shaffer Lab.

Thus our research ranges from the strategic, such as research on sex determination in turtles and dragon lizards, to that of more immediate application, such as research to provide the scientific underpinning for Aboriginal enterprises in Arnhem Land. These projects often combine traditional ecological investigation with modern molecular approaches. I think our projects are exciting and novel -- have a look at our project summaries

Much of our research is funded by organizations like the Australian Research Council, the Hermon Slade Foundation or industry bodies such as Oil Search and the Australian Federal Police. We have strong affiliations with the eWater Cooperative Research Centre and the Invasive Animals CRC. They provide great opportunities for postgraduate research on projects of immediate relevance to industry and the community in general. The ARC-funded Environmental Futures Network, based in Adelaide, also provides an unparalleled avenue for drawing upon expertise and for forging new and exciting collaborations.

Interested in joining our team? If you are a prospective postgraduate student or postdoc with strong interests in reptile or amphibian sex determination, in phylogeography, or in applying evolutionary, ecological, or conservation theory to reptiles or amphibians in a field context, we may be the home for you. We are always interested in new additions to our team, particularly if you have a strong academic record, enjoy a demanding but productive and collegial work environment, and are interested in whole animal biology.