Tessa R Smith

Organizing committee member, Australian Entomological Society AGM and Scientific Conference 2024, Hobart

• I am collaborating with the organizing committee to host the upcoming scientific conference in Hobart this November 2024. For more details on the schedule and to register, please visit this link.

CABAH Cadetship Program- Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

• From March to November 2024, I will be undertaking a cadetship at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, supported by the University of Wollongong node of the Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH).

• During this period, I will collaborate with the Vertebrate and Invertebrate Zoology collections staff, as well as conservators, to engage in various collections management tasks and gain in-depth knowledge of the collections management process.

PhD candidate, 2020 - ongoing: Biogeography of Tasmanian Leaf-litter beetles

• I am a member of the Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), working under the supervision of Professor Barry Brook and Professor Christopher Johnson (University of Tasmania), as well as Dr. Nicholas Porch (Deakin University).

• In collaboration with Dr. Lynne Forster (University of Tasmania) and Dr. Kieren Mitchell (Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research), my project focuses on the distribution of leaf-litter dwelling beetle species and assemblages across Tasmanian wet eucalyptus forests and cool temperate rainforests. These beetle species play a crucial role in the decomposition of organic material on the forest floor. The research aims to determine whether modern beetle distributions have been influenced by past climates and ice ages, and to identify potential refugia for these species. The distribution patterns of beetles will be compared with those of other fauna and vegetation to inform conservation strategies and identify areas of significance for protection.

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