PhD Opportunity – Social value of ‘everyday nature’ in urban streetscapes
We are currently seeking expressions of interest for the following PhD project. About the position Location: Parkville campus Employment Type: Full-time Duration: 3.5 years fixed-term appointment Remuneration: The successful applicant will receive a living allowance of $39,500 per year pro rata (2026 full-time study rate) with a top-up scholarship potentially available. See RTP stipend scholarship […]
Bringing Woodland Birds Back
Last week, the ICON Science team received news that our ARC Industry Linkage Project, “Bringing woodland birds back to the suburbs,” has been funded in full! Over the next five years, our team will be working to understand the drivers of woodland bird species decline and loss from urban areas in south-eastern Australia. Most excitingly, […]
Sunshine, Science and Nature-Positive Cities: ICON at ESA 2025
From Sunday 23 to Friday 28 November 2025, ecologists from across Australia gathered in Adelaide on Kaurna Country for the annual Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) Conference. With sunshine, stimulating conversations and a packed scientific program, it was a memorable week for the nine ICON Science members who attended and presented their research. Dr Nita Lauren kicked off the […]
Helping our feathered neighbours thrive
Spring is in the air, Guardian Australia’s ‘Bird of the Year’ poll is now open, and the Aussie Bird Count is just around the corner – what better time to stop and think about how you can support native birds in your street, park or garden! Dr Jacinta Humphrey recently spoke to the Guardian Australia […]
How to turn your home into a wildlife refuge
Cities have an important role to play in providing habitat for our native animals, plants and insects. Last week, Bethany Kiss, RMIT University, published an article in The Conversation with 8 helpful tips on how people can turn their homes into refuges for wildlife. The article cites the work of the authors explored in their […]
NGV Exhibition: When wildlife moves in
Native animals can make for excellent neighbours – blue-banded bees pollinate our vegetable gardens; microbats eat up to 1200 mosquitoes per night; powerful owls keep rodents at bay. But could we go one step further and design our homes so that we could have native animals as housemates? Bethany Kiss’ design piece ‘When wildlife moves […]
Conservation community unites in Meanjin for ICCB 2025
Last month, the 32nd International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB 2025) took place in Brisbane/Meanjin, Australia. ICON Science was well-represented at the meeting with seven current lab members and three recent alumni in attendance. Current and former ICON Science lab members enjoy one of the poster sessions at ICCB 2025. Back row (left to right): […]
ICON member live on 3RRR: The value of informal green spaces
Dr Hugh Stanford was recently invited to talk about his research on a local Melbourne radio show called ‘Einstein A Go-Go’ on the 3RRR station. Hosted by Dr Shane Huntington, the aim of the show is “Exploring the wonders of science and its impact on the world. Dissection and discussion of science and science issues […]
Future visioning for nature positive
The nature positive agenda requires transformative change and innovative approaches that move beyond business-as-usual. In an article recently published in npj Urban Sustainability, Dr Jacinta Humphrey and colleagues, demonstrate the use of visioning and target setting to create an actionable roadmap to a ‘nature positive’ future (Humphrey et al. 2025). An online workshop was held […]
Art imitates life: Understanding human-nature connections through arts-based methods
Human disconnection from nature has been identified as a key driver of biodiversity loss and nature’s decline. Stronger connections between people and nature are therefore needed to promote caring for nature and foster sustainability transformations. To identify opportunities for repairing and strengthening such connections, first we need to understand how and why people connect with […]