Jessica Worthington Wilmer | |
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Alma mater | University of Queensland |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | University of Cambridge Boston University Queensland Museum |
Thesis | Genetic variation and population structure in the threatened ghost bat, Macroderma gigas (1997) |
Jessica Worthington Wilmer is an Australian evolutionary biologist who has worked at the Queensland Museum since 2002.
Wilmer completed her secondary education at St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School in 1985. She graduated from the University of Queensland (UQ) with a BSc (hons) in 1990. [1] She researched and wrote her PhD at UQ from 1992 to 1996. Her thesis was "Genetic variation and population structure in the threatened ghost bat, Macroderma gigas ". [2]
Wilmer moved to Melbourne in 1991 to work at La Trobe University before returning to UQ to research her PhD. [1] To broaden her develop her skills she moved to the University of Cambridge from 1996 to 1999, where she won a fellowship from the American Association of University Women to study at Boston University.
Wilmer returned to Australia to join the Queensland Museum in 2002. She manages the Molecular Identities Lab, where she has contributed to the description or redefinition of nearly 30 species and genera. [3]
The University of Queensland is a public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone universities, an informal designation of the oldest university in each state. UQ is also a founding member of edX, Australia's leading Group of Eight and the international research-intensive Association of Pacific Rim Universities.
The Australian owlet-nightjar is a nocturnal bird found in open woodland across Australia and in southern New Guinea. It is colloquially known as the moth owl. It is the most common nocturnal bird in Australia, and despite suffering from predation and competition by introduced species it is not considered threatened.
The ghost bat is a species of bat found in northern Australia. The species is the only Australian bat that preys on large vertebrates – birds, reptiles and other mammals – which they detect using acute sight and hearing, combined with echolocation, while waiting in ambush at a perch. The wing membrane and bare skin is pale in colour, their fur is light or dark grey over the back and paler at the front. The species has a prominent and simple nose-leaf, their large ears are elongated and joined at lower half, and the eyes are also large and dark in colour. The first description of the species was published in 1880, its recorded range has significantly contracted since that time.
The Wellington Caves are a group of limestone caves located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Wellington, New South Wales, Australia.
Megadermatidae, or false vampire bats, are a family of bats found from central Africa, eastwards through southern Asia, and into Australia. They are relatively large bats, ranging from 6.5 cm to 14 cm in head-body length. They have large eyes, very large ears and a prominent nose-leaf. They have a wide membrane between the hind legs, or uropatagium, but no tail. Many species are a drab brown in color, but some are white, bluish-grey or even olive-green, helping to camouflage them against their preferred roosting environments. They are primarily insectivorous, but will also eat a wide range of small vertebrates.
The chocolate wattled bat is a bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found only in Australia, including the island Tasmania, and widespread in southern regions. It is known to reside from sea level to at least 1,570 metres (5,150 ft) in Victoria.
Finlayson's cave bat is a species of vesper bat found only in Australia.
The Arnhem sheath-tailed bat, species is an emballonurid bat found at the Top End of Australia. The species is also referred to as the white-striped sheathtail for the distinguishing marks at the flank, a feature observable beneath the wing when the animal is in flight. Records of the species are rare.
The orange leaf-nosed bat is a bat in the family Rhinonycteridae. It is the only living species in the genus Rhinonicteris which is endemic to Australia, occurring in the far north and north-west of the continent. They roost in caves, eat moths, and are sensitive to human intrusion.
Macroderma is a genus of microbats, present in the fossil record and as one extant species. They have existed in Australia since the early Miocene.
Margaret Helen Mittelheuser (1931—2013) was an Australian stockbroker. She was the first female stockbroker in Australia and one of the first female stockbrokers in the world. Margaret joined Ralph W. King and Yuill stockbrokers in July 1964. On Queensland Day in 2021, Mittelheuser was named jointly with her sister Cathryn Mittelheuser as one of Queensland Greats by the Queensland Government.
Mary Laughren is an Australian linguist, known for her research on Australian Aboriginal languages. As of April 2018, Laughren is an Honorary Research Senior Fellow at the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland.
Elizabeth Nesta "Pat" Marks was an Australian entomologist who described 38 new mosquito species, as well as new species of fruit flies, bugs, cockroaches and ticks. She had a PhD in insect physiology from the University of Cambridge and was a member of the Royal Entomological Society of London.
Justine Shaw is an Australian Antarctic researcher, best known for her conservation work on subantarctic islands, currently working at the Queensland University of Technology. She has a wide global research network, having worked in Australia, South Africa, sub-Antarctic/Antarctic and the Arctic.
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Elizabeth Morris Exley was an entomologist who researched Australian native bees particularly those in the subfamily Euryglossinae.
Dame Sarah Elizabeth Worthington, is a British legal scholar, professor at LSE Law School, barrister, and Deputy High Court Judge in the Chancery Division, specialising in company law, commercial law, and equity. From 2011 to 2022, she was the Downing Professor of the Laws of England at the University of Cambridge. She is Treasurer of the British Academy and a trustee of the British Museum.
Margaret Irene Bullock AM FTSE is an Australian former professor in physiotherapy at the University of Queensland and pioneer in the field of ergonomics.
Peter Martin Visscher is a Dutch-born Australian geneticist who is professor and chair of Quantitative Genetics at the University of Queensland. He is also a professorial research fellow at the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience and an affiliate professor at their Queensland Brain Institute.
Macroderma malugara is a species of bat known from fossil material found in Australia. The name describes a 'good killer' in the local language, and was similar in size and probably habits of the modern Macroderma gigas. They ate a wide variety of animals in their rainforest environment, including birds, turtles, small crocodiles and other bats.