Nicole Webster

Last updated

Nicole Webster is an Australian marine scientist who is Chief Scientist for the Australian Antarctic Division. [1]

Contents

Early life

Nicole Webster gained an undergraduate degree and PhD in marine biology at James Cook University. Professor Webster's research discovered that sponge-microbial associations are fairly uniform throughout large geographic zones and highlighted the specificity of this partnership. She also discovered that the breakdown of this symbiosis may be a good indicator of environmental stress. [2]

Career

Webster conducted postdoctoral research in Antarctica through the University of Canterbury and Gateway Antarctica. [1] Her research analyzed how microbe symbiosis can be biologically indicative of environmental strain in Antarctic marine ecosystems and also examined how microorganisms trigger the settlement and metamorphosis of coral reef invertebrates. [3]

Webster became a research scientist at the Australian Institute for Marine Science (AIMS) and Principal Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics located at the University of Queensland. [3] In 2024, she is an Honorary Professor at UQ in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences. [4]

In 2021, Webster was appointed Chief Scientist for the Australian Antarctic Division, [1] succeeding Gwen Fenton. As such, she took part in the 2022 Australian Antarctic Division Science Symposium in Canberra, speaking on climate science, the Southern Ocean and new technology, [5] as well as the 2023 New Zealand/ Australia Antarctic Science Conference in Christchurch, where she spoke on joint research. [6] She also oversaw two drilling operations in the Antarctic plateau. [7]

In 2024, she was ranked as the number one Australian Antarctic Division scientist. [8]

In January 2024, she was appointed as Executive Director for the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Science at the University of Tasmania. [9] She is also part of the committee for the Centre for Marine Socioecology in Hobart. [10]

Awards

Related Research Articles

The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is a division of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. The Division undertakes science programs and research projects to contribute to an understanding of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. It conducts and supports collaborative research programs with other Australian and international organisations, such as the Bureau of Meteorology and Geoscience Australia, as well as administering and maintaining a presence in Australian Antarctic and sub-Antarctic territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Station</span> Antarctic base in Australian Antarctic Territory

Casey Station, commonly called Casey, is one of three permanent stations and research outposts in Antarctica managed by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). Casey lies on the northern side of the Bailey Peninsula overlooking Vincennes Bay on the Budd Coast of Wilkes Land in the Australian Antarctic Territory, a territory claimed by Australia. Casey is 3,880 kilometres (2,410 mi) due south of Perth, Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Tasmania</span> Public university in Tasmania, Australia

The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first proposed in 1840 in Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Franklin's Legislative Council, was modelled on the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, and was founded in 1846, making it the oldest tertiary institution in the country. The university is a sandstone university, a member of the international Association of Commonwealth Universities, and the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Institute of Marine Science</span> Australian tropical marine research centre

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) is a tropical marine research centre located primarily at Cape Ferguson in the locality of Cape Cleveland, City of Townsville Queensland, Australia. It is around 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Townsville. Established in 1972 by the McMahon government, the institute's primary function is research for sustainable use and protection of the marine environment. The Institute investigates topics from broad-scale ecology to microbiology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Klenova</span> Russian and Soviet marine geologist

Maria Vasilyevna Klenova was a Russian and Soviet marine geologist and one of the founders of Russian marine science and contributor to the first Soviet Antarctic atlas.

Garth William Paltridge is a retired Australian atmospheric physicist. He is a visiting fellow at the Australian National University and emeritus professor and honorary research fellow at the Institute of Antarctic and Southern Oceans Studies (IASOS), University of Tasmania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies</span> Teaching and research institute of the University of Tasmania

The Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) is a teaching and research institute of the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Tasmania. IMAS was established in 2010, building upon the university's partnership with CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and the Australian Antarctic Division in cooperative Antarctic research and Southern Ocean research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allison Glacier (Heard Island)</span> Glacier on Heard Island, Indian Ocean

Allison Glacier is an ice stream on the west side of Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean. Allison Glacier flows from Big Ben massif down to the sea to the south of Cape Gazert. To the north of Allison Glacier is Vahsel Glacier, whose terminus is at South West Bay, between Erratic Point and Cape Gazert. Immediately to the north of Vahsel Glacier is Schmidt Glacier, whose terminus is located between Mount Drygalski and North West Cornice. To the south of Allison Glacier is Abbotsmith Glacier, while Cape Gazert is immediately west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nerilie Abram</span> Australian scientist

Nerilie Abram is an Australian professor at the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Her areas of expertise are in climate change and paleoclimatology, including the climate of Antarctica, the Indian Ocean Dipole, and impacts on the climate of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leanne Armand</span> Australian marine scientist (1968–2022)

Leanne Armand was an Australian professor of marine science. She was an expert in the identification of diatoms in the Southern Ocean. She was known for her contributions to the understanding of past Southern Ocean dynamics and sea ice as a result of her knowledge of diatom distributions and ecology.

Patrick Gerard Quilty was an Australian geologist and paleontologist who specialised in the surface and subsurface earth sciences of Antarctica. The Quilty Nunataks are named for his initial service in Antarctica, at which time he was connected to the University of Wisconsin. He later continued his Antarctic service with the University of Tasmania, rising to the position of chief scientist with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) of the Australian Department of the Environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nerida Wilson</span> American zoologist

Nerida Gaye Wilson is an invertebrate marine molecular biologist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation who has interests in diversity, systematics, phylogeny, phylogeography and behavior. Wilson has been instrumental in demonstrating the level of marine cryptic species complexes in Antarctic waters, testing the circumpolar distribution paradigm with molecular data, and using interdisciplinary approaches to show how Antarctic diversity may have been generated. Her work with NOAA on Antarctic Marine Living Resources has been used to regulate exploratory benthic fisheries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Bergstrom</span> Australian ecologist

Dana Michelle Bergstrom is a senior researcher at the Australian Antarctic Division most notable for her work on identifying and mitigating risks against Antarctic and Sub Antarctic Ecosystems.

Kathleen Elizabeth Conlan is an Antarctic marine biologist who studies sea floor marine life. She was named one of Canada's greatest explorers by Canadian Geographic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justine Shaw</span> Australian Antarctic researcher

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine King (scientist)</span> Australian ecotoxicologist

Catherine K. King is an Australian ecotoxicologist who studies sub-Antarctic and Antarctic regions, with a focus on climate change and the impacts of contaminants and environmental stressors in terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwen Fenton</span>

Gwen Fenton was the Chief Scientist of the Australian Antarctic Division and is the first woman to hold this position. She discovered that the fish species Hoplostethus atlanticus can live to over 100 years old, leading to significant changes to the management of the species.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) is a research centre which focuses on the natural, historic and Indigenous heritage of Australia. Its aim is to increase understanding of the past in order to be able to better adapt and plan for the future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeward Bound (organization)</span> Australian leadership program

Homeward Bound is an organisation based in Australia that holds leadership programs for women in science. Founded in 2015, the leadership program aims to increase the representation of women in leadership roles in science fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antarctic gateway cities</span> Five major transportation hubs to Antarctica

The Antarctic gateway cities are five cities on the rim of the Southern Ocean through which nearly all cargo and personnel bound for Antarctica pass. From west to east, they are Punta Arenas, Chile; Ushuaia, Argentina; Cape Town, South Africa; Hobart, Australia; and Christchurch, New Zealand. As Antarctica is a low-resource environment with no major transportation infrastructure of its own, gateway cities are a necessary part of all Antarctic activities.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Australian Antarctic division's new chief scientist Nicole Webster ready to plunge into the role". ABC News. 24 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 Science.org website, Oakley, C. (6 May 2010). Dr Nicole Webster, marine scientist., Retrieved 21 March 2018
  3. 1 2 Ecodim website, Nicole Webster. (n.d.)., Retrieved 22 March 2018
  4. University of Queensland website, Nicole Webster, retrieved 2024-06-06
  5. Australian Antarctica Program website, Symposium sets the scene for research on frozen continent and icy seas, article dated September 24, 2022
  6. Antarctica New Zealand website, Antarctic scientists gather in Christchurch, article dated July 25, 2023
  7. PS News website, Antarctic’s PS staff warm to the climate, article dated October 24, 2022
  8. AD Scientific Index 2024 website, Australian Antarctic Division Scientists Rankings (Sort by last 6 years H Index) 2024, retrieved 2024-06-06
  9. University of Tasmania website, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Science section, Senior Management Team, retrieved 2024-06-06
  10. Centre for Marine Socioecology website, Steering Committee, retrieved 2024-06-06