Experience

Wildlife Drones

• Australia
• Environmental Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Founder, CEO and Chief Remote Pilot

  • Aug 2016 - Present

  Debbie is a Founding Director of Wildlife Drones and has developed the world’s most advanced animal radio-tracking drone system. This innovative radio-receiver technology comes in the form of a small payload that attaches to off-the-shelf drones, and can locate hundreds of radio-tagged animals at the same, displaying the results live on a map. This saves researchers, pest species managers, environmental consultants, stock managers and conservation NGOs significant time, effort and money when locating tagged animals. She has received an ACT Innovation Award as well as an ACT Government Innovation Connect grant for her creative business solutions for challenging research problems. Debbie believes that drones are a highly valuable and flexible tool that provide unprecedented opportunities for new insights into the world’s most complex and fascinating natural ecosystems.



The Australian National University

• Australia
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Conservation Ecologist, Postdoctoral Researcher

  • 2011 - Present

  Debbie's key research interests are in threatened species ecology and landscape-scale conservation. For her current project she successfully secured a $1m NSW Environmental Trust Saving Our Species grant for on-ground habitat conservation for the critically endangered Swift Parrot. Working with a broad range of collaborators, hundreds of hectares of winter foraging habitat are now being protected and restored within priority regions of NSW. She has also recently completed a research project titled “The endangered swift parrot as a model for managing small migratory birds”. The importance of this research has received international recognition with funding from both Loro Parque Foundation (Spain) and the Australian Research Council Linkage Grants program. Other key project partners include Zoos South Australia, Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE), Bush Heritage Australia, Tasmanian Forest Practices Authority.



Commonwealth Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC)

• Threatened Species Consultant

  • 2010 - 2011

  Development of threatened orchid species profiles for inclusion in national databases and policy advice. Development of threatened orchid species profiles for inclusion in national databases and policy advice.



Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU.

• Sustainable Farms Project Officer

  • 2010 - 2010

  Evaluation and reporting for the ANU sustainable farms initiative, including the review of scientific results, distilling complex concepts and presenting technical information in a meaningful way for rural landholders. Evaluation and reporting for the ANU sustainable farms initiative, including the review of scientific results, distilling complex concepts and presenting technical information in a meaningful way for rural landholders.



Max Planck Institute for Ornithology

• Germany
• Research Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Bird Migration Researcher

  • 2008 - 2009

  Captive trial experiments to identify the most effective tag attachment methods for tracking endangered Swift Parrots. Captive trial experiments to identify the most effective tag attachment methods for tracking endangered Swift Parrots.



NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW)

• Threatened Species Recovery Coordinator

  • 2008 - 2008

  National Swift Parrot Recovery Program implementation. National Swift Parrot Recovery Program implementation.



Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University

• PhD Scholar

  • 2005 - 2008

  Thesis title "Ecology and conservation of the swift parrot - an endangered austral migrant" Thesis title "Ecology and conservation of the swift parrot - an endangered austral migrant"



NSW National Parks and Wildlife

• Threatened Species Conservation Officer

  • 2001 - 2006

  National Swift Parrot Recovery Program implementation. National Swift Parrot Recovery Program implementation.



Macquarie University

• Australia
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Project Manager, Commonwealth Key Centre for Biodiversity and Bio-resources

  • 2000 - 2001

  Invertebrate identification and biodiversity monitoring. Invertebrate identification and biodiversity monitoring.



Biosis Research

• Environmental Consultant

  • 1996 - 2000

  Environmental impact assessment and ecological monitoring under both state and Commonwealth environmental legislation. Environmental impact assessment and ecological monitoring under both state and Commonwealth environmental legislation.



Sydney Coastal Environment Centre, Pittwater Council

• Environmental Education Officer

  • 1994 - 1996

  Develop, promote and implement environmental education programs on urban wildlife. Develop, promote and implement environmental education programs on urban wildlife.