Our Team

Group Lead

Prof. Damian Dowling
I am an evolutionary ecologist, with a big interest in understanding how mitochondria have evolved to shape animal life-histories. In our group, we study the effects of mitochondrial sequence variation on organismal life history and physiology, and the evolution of sex differences in life-history. We also study the contribution of the mitochondrial genome to evolutionary adaptation to climate change and environmental stress. To address these questions, we draw on interdisciplinary approaches from the fields of evolutionary and behavioural ecology, genomics and genetics.

email: damian.dowling@monash.edu

Post Docs

Dr Jade Kannangara

Postdoctoral Fellow

I am studying the role of mitochondrial heteroplasmy in facilitating adaptation to rapid environmental change. Heteroplasmy occurs when individuals harbour different mtDNA genotypes inside of them. I am testing whether heteroplasmy provides individuals with a mechanism that enables rapid mtDNA evolution in response to environmental change.

email: jade.kannangara@monash.edu

Dr Heather Flores

Postdoctoral Fellow

I am a Research Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences. My research focuses on the use of Wolbachia for the biocontrol of arboviruses in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Specifically, I am investigating the use and effectiveness of new Wolbachia strains, how Wolbachia evolves in the field post-release, and how nuclear and mitochondrial genomes interact to impact mosquito fitness and Wolbachia stability.

email: heather.flores@monash.edu

PhD Students

Vanessa Higham

Prior to my studies at Monash, I completed a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) and Post-Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education. Although my previous studies facilitated my growth as an educator, completing the Bachelor of Science at Monash fostered my passion for research, with a keen interest in exploring the factors that contribute to co-evolution across multiple biological scales. Consequently, my past and current research projects aim to investigate how complex interactions involving natural variation within the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, sex, and nutrition influence phenotypic variation within life history traits, using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster.  

email: vanessa.higham1@monash.edu

Research Assistants

Dr Winston Yee

I completed my PhD in the Dowling lab exploring the evolutionary significance of the mitochondrial genetic variation, focusing on the capacity for inter-genomic interactions between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes to shape fitness. Currently I am a research assistant and laboratory manager for the Dowling lab group.

email: winston.yee@monash.edu

Amy Dedman

email: amy.dedman@monash.edu

Honours & Undergraduate Students

Alumni

Venkatesh Radha
James
Magdalena Nystrand
Rebecca Vaught
Ekta
completed her PhD in 2023 and is currently working as a postdoc in France.
Ralph Dobler
Laim McNamara
Sean Layh
Susi Zajitschek
Florencia Maria Camus
Rebecca Adrian
Tom Allison
Katey Sutton
Ilaria Venturelli
Ruby Aubury
Andrea Pozzi
Kat Prata
Jonci Wolff
Camille Hammer
Tara-Lyn Carter
Liz Cassidy
Zdenek Labjner
Belinda Williams
Bjorn Rogell
Emma Firkins
Yoshana Fonseka
Violetta Caballero
Lucinda Auslen-Brooke

Lab Photos

2024 Back L to R: Andre Alves, Sebastian Coulston-Williams, Anuk Jayasinghe, Heather Flores, Nick Carpenter, Jade Kannangara, Tara-Lyn Carter. Front L to R: Vanessa Higham, Damian Dowling, Rachel Hyunh, Winston Yee, Beau Shrimpton

2023 Back L to R: Winston Yee, Amy Dedman, Vanessa Higham, Heather Flores, Anuk Jayashinghe. Front L to R: Damian Dowling, Jade Kannangara, Beau Shrimpton

AES Conference 2019 L to R: Rebecca Adrian, Vanessa Higham, Ekta, Sean Layh, Ilaria Venturelli, Damian Dowling
2019 Back L to R: Tara-Lyn Carter , Sean Layh, Damian Dowling, Andrea Pozzi, Winston Yee, Shiqian Feng. Front L to R: Tom Allison, Vanessa Higham, Ekta, Illaria Venturelli
2019 Back L to R: Tom Allison, Ekta, Winston Yee, Rebecca Adrian, Rebecca Vaught, Shiqian Feng, Ilaria Venturelli, Damian Dowling. Front L to R: Vanessa Higham, Tara-Lyn Carter, Sean Layh
2018 L to R: Magdalena Nystrand, Winston Yee, Ilaria Venturelli, Ekta, Vanessa Higham, Rebecca Adrian, Venkatesh Radha, Yoshana Fonseka, Damian Dowling, Geoff Hill, Sean Layh
2017 L to R: Sean Layh, Vanessa Higham, Tara-Lyn Carter, Camille Hammer, Venkatesh Radha, Damian Dowling, Ilaria Venturelli, Susi Zajitschek, Rebecca Adrian, Andrea Pozzi, Winston Yee, Ekta, Rebecca Vaught, Magdalena Nystrand
2016 L to R: Venkatesh Radha, Rebecca Vaught, Ilaria Venturelli, Winston Yee, Vanessa Higham, Camille Hammer, Violeta Caballero, Michaela Parascandalo, Damian Dowling, Susi Zajitschek, Magdalena Nystrand
2016 L to R: Damian Dowling, Ilaria Venturelli, Magdalena Nystrand, Becca Vaught, Camille Hammer, Winston Yee, Henry Ye, Sean Layh, Venkatesh Radha, Jonci Wolff, Violetta Caballero, Katharine Prata
2015 Clockwise from left: Winston Yee, Vanessa Higham, Susi Zajitschek, Flo Camus, Jonci Wolff, Camille Hammer, Becky Dean, Magdalena Nystrand, Damian Dowling, Becca Vaught, Venkatesh Radha
2014 L to R: Ruby Albury, Belinda Williams, Magdalena Nystrand, Liz Cassidy, Damian Dowling, Venkatesh Radha, Jonci Wolff, Flo Camus, Winston Yee