Sydney Science Trail Excursions
Saturday to Sunday, 12–20 August, 9.30am – 2.30pm
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney,  Australian Museum and Mount Annan

Tickets: $18

Dr Alescia Cullen, Dr Vaheesan Rajabal and PhD candidates Pamela Tsoumbris, Dominic Scopelliti, Darshika Dissawe Mudiyanselage, Dani Montoya-Londoño and Jariya Chanachai will be at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology stall. This week-long event is aimed at primary, secondary and diverse-learner school students.

Register to attend >>

Science in the Scrub
Sunday 13 August, 11am – 3pm
Lizard Log Amphitheatre, Abbotsbury

Associate Professor Joanne Jamie, Dr Ian Jamie and PACE Engaging the Community in Science students will be presenting bush medicines and sustainable energy activities for the public during this family-friendly event.

Find out more >>

Using Ancient Knowledge for Environmental Sustainability
Healthcare and Cultural Revitalisation
Monday 14 August, 7pm – 8pm
Webinar

Associate Professor Joanne Jamie will host this webinar featuring founders of fully-Indigenous owned organisations South Coast Seaweed and Native Secrets. Find out how they are reviving customary knowledge and creating new products, working alongside industry and academic scientists.

Register to attend >>

Getting to Know Your Friendly Neighbourhood Microbiologist
Tuesday 15 August to Sunday 20 August
Online

Dr Amy Cain hosts JAMSpod, a series of microbiology-themed podcasts jointly run by Macquarie University, Western Sydney University, the Department of Primary Industries and Joint Academic Microbiology Seminars (JAMS). Each episode reveals a researcher behind the microscope, providing insights into their research, challenges and career journey, and a glimpse into their workday. The podcast also encourages the public to participate by submitting questions via Twitter (X) @jamsorgau.

Register to attend >>

Climate Solutions You Wish You Knew About
Tuesday 15 August, 6pm – 7.45pm
The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Tickets: $22

Professor Michelle Leishman and Professor Neil Saintilan will be panellists at this event, sharing research into the innovative ways in which plants can be part of the climate change solution.

Register to attend >>

Microscopy and Aboriginal Art
Tuesday 15 August, 7pm – 8pm
Webinar

Associate Professor Joanne Jamie will host this webinar featuring Aboriginal artist Graham Toomey and science communicator Jenny Whiting discussing how microscopy can add a creative new dimension for Aboriginal artists in connecting to Country.

Register to attend >>

An Introduction to Observing the Night Sky
Wednesday 16 August, 7pm – 8pm
Mosman Library Service/Barry O’Keefe Library
605 Military Road, Mosman

Astrophysicist Dr Angel Rafael Lopez Sanchez will present an illustrated talk on observing the night sky.

Register to attend >> 

Virtual tour of CSIRO’s RV Investigator
Thursday 17 August, 11.30am – 12.15pm
Online

Dr Vanessa Pirotta will join CSIRO marine biologist Dr Ben Arthur on a virtual tour of the National Science Agency’s blue-water super-science ship, the ocean-going research vessel, RV Investigator, and show you how scientists live and work on the ship for weeks at a time.

Register to attend >>

Remediate: Test out a new card game at the pub
Friday 18 August, 6pm – 8pm
Royal Hotel Darlington, Sydney

Professor Ian Paulsen and ARC Synthetic Biology researcher Dr Vaheesan Rajabal will run an in-person event that uses a card game to teach the science and strategy behind genetic selection. They will also discuss the potential for a burgeoning bioeconomy to establish rural hubs for transforming waste into useful products. 

Find out more >>

Family Science Day
Saturday 19 August, 10am – 3pm
Parramatta Square and PHIVE

Professor Mohsen Asadniaye Fard Jahromi, Dr June Ho and Associate Professor Sorn Vimonsatit will run an engineering challenge for kids, who can learn how to build their own paper bridge and make it strong, and experience the world of aerodynamics via a virtual reality experience. The event also offers science-based art and craft activities for children.

Find out more >>

Indigenous Science Experience @ Redfern Community Day
Saturday 19 August, 10am – 3pm
Redfern Community Centre

Associate Professor Joanne Jamie is host of this key event for the National Indigenous Science Education Program (NISEP). Macquarie academics and students from School of Natural Sciences, Engineering, Walanga Muru, Chiropractic Sciences and the Numeracy Centre are contributing to the many activities. Find out what Aboriginal astronomy can tell us about the night sky, how our native flora are used in bush medicine and what over 60 thousand years of Indigenous culture can teach us about sustainable living.

Find out more >>

Science in the Swamp
Sunday 20 August, 10am – 3pm
Centennial Park

Dr Lindsay Parker will be joined by academics and HDR students from the School of Computing. At this family day out, there will be hands-on science experiments, displays and meet-the-scientist activities.

Find out more >>

National Science Quiz
Sunday 27 August, 3.30pm
The Capitol, Melbourne and live-streamed online

Dr Paige Erpf from Macquarie’s ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology will compete in this live-broadcast science quiz hosted by ABC personality Charlie Pickering. Anyone can join the fun and play via the live stream. There are cash prizes up for grabs.

Register to attend >>

The IATD is a new form of tertiary education established by the NSW Government as part of the recommendations from the Gonski-Shergold Review of the NSW Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, with a purpose-built facility at Tafe NSW Meadowbank campus. As part of the facility, Macquarie University has partnered with TAFE NSW, Microsoft and University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to develop unique educational offerings in cybersecurity, AI, data science and others and to build a state-of-the-art cyber range training centre.

The initiative aims to provide future cyber workers with cyber security microcredentials designed by trusted industry and education experts.

Training for a wide range of cyber security roles – from technical through to governance, leadership and cyber policy – will be aimed at school leavers as well as workers wanting to reskill and enter the cyber security sector, which will need an estimated 16,600 extra workers by 2026. To enable greater diversity in the cyber security workforce, an initial 100 scholarships for a pilot cohort of students, supported by an additional $2.350M Federal Government Cyber Skills partnership grant secured by MQ, will focus on offering training to women, Aboriginal people, the neurodiverse, and people in regional areas.

The IATD is based in state-of-the-art facilities in Meadowbank which includes a purpose-built cyber range training centre equipped with a virtual cyber ‘range’ and cyber-physical simulation system that will provide an environment to hone specialist technical and transferrable or ‘soft’ skills using real-life scenarios.

Microcredentials will enable learners to customise and upskill in specialised areas, with training at foundational, intermediate and advanced levels designed for specific job outcomes ranging from the technical skills of cyber security to cyber governance and policy compliance functions. “In reaching this milestone I’d like to acknowledge the contribution of staff from the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts – Education and Law, and IT,” said Executive Dean Lucy Marshall, Faculty of Science and Engineering.

“Specifically thank you and congratulations to Magnus Nyden for his leadership in the initial stages of the project, Dali Kaafar, Peter McCarthy, Grant Hose and Michael Chen. The development and delivery of microcredentials is being undertaken by staff in the School of Computing, the Cyber Security Hub, Faculty of Arts and the FSE learning development team.

“It has truly been collaborative effort resulting in a world-first that represents a major asset for NSW and the nation.”

Some fish have been observed holding a prey item in their mouths and striking it on a hard surface quickly and repeatedly until it cracks. The researchers would like to determine which species are able to do this, where and how.

By studying tool use in fish, they hope to unravel the factors driving tool use evolution and explain why tool use is a rare behaviour in the animal kingdom.

Learn more about the project and how to participate here.

The new Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering shares her passions, values and highlights from her first few weeks at Macquarie.

Starting from a love of mathematics, Professor Lucy Marshall forged a career coupling complex statistics with real-life solutions to help manage Australia’s limited natural resources.

“In the final years of my undergraduate degree in civil engineering, I worked on an independent research project that developed mathematical water catchment models to help predict floods and support water quality following these events,” says Professor Marshall.

“I remember that being a real switch in my head, where I could see how you could use maths to describe natural systems, which was so interesting.

“It wasn’t until I started the practical application side that I realised I really am an engineer at heart – I get to use my mathematical interests and passion to solve real-world problems.”

After completing her undergraduate, masters and PhD degrees at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Professor Marshall moved to Montana State University in 2006 as an Assistant Professor of Watershed Analysis. There, she worked at the interface of engineering and environmental science in quantifying uncertainty in hydrologic and environmental systems.

Professor Marshall returned to UNSW as an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow in 2013. In 2018, she was appointed the university’s first Associate Dean (Equity and Diversity), where she pursued a broad portfolio aimed at student and staff equity, diversity and inclusion.

It was Macquarie’s embedded commitment to collaboration that attracted Professor Marshall to the University.

“Meeting with members from the University community, I understood right away Macquarie’s vision and shared goal, which is to put students first,” she says.

“This vision has created a real culture of collaboration where everyone works together to achieve a common goal. That is a vision of leadership I haven’t seen in many institutions.”

From day one, Professor Marshall wanted to work within the powerful vision that guides the faculty and align her values to the cause.

“I didn’t want to present my vision. I think people in the institution have a very good and strong vision and I want to align my values to that vision.”

She says the three values that will underpin her leadership of the Faculty of Science and Engineering are transparency, inclusive education and nurturing future scientists.

“I think academic leaders need to be very transparent about how decisions are made. Transparency is key to achieving fairness and inclusivity.”

One of her primary passions is supporting the next generation of scientists and engineers.

In order to achieve this, Professor Marshall believes universities need to embrace transformation and widen educational access.

“I think that, as an institution, we are beholden to reach out to all of society. Universities have the potential to be transformative. We need to re-think the way we support students and how we set them up for success in the future,” she says.

A key highlight of her first few weeks at Macquarie was attending the early career researchers’ network retreat for the faculty.

“Our early career researchers are the ones who will change our world. They are the ones with a vision for how tomorrow can be better for our whole society. It is so great to see that our faculty already has a strong peer network that delivers development opportunities, and both structured and informal mentoring for these future leaders of STEM.”

As she settles into her role, Professor Marshall sees the embedding of collaboration into research, teaching and learning as an enormous opportunity for the faculty.

“The University is based in the heart of the Macquarie Park Innovation District. Through strong connections with industry partners on our doorstep, I see so much potential for us to develop authentic research partnerships that are all about research translation.

“Through these partnerships we can take our research and apply it for the better of industry, for the better of society and for the better of communities.”

Macquarie University’s Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) has signed an agreement with pioneering manufacturer Gilmour Space to produce a new piece of space technology, set to launch in 2023.

Gilmour Space is one of Australia’s pioneer NewSpace companies and the leading venture-backed manufacturer of launch vehicles and satellite platforms.

AAO Macquarie is world renowned for its ground-based precision instrumentation for telescopes and is now branching out to non-astronomy applications in space. As part of this new partnership with Gilmour Space, a team of technical specialists from AAO Macquarie will construct and deliver a novel thermal camera payload device.

“The payload will be attached to a satellite which is set to orbit around the Earth in late 2023,” says Dr Lee Spitler from AAO Macquarie. “The data collected from the thermal camera payload will be unique and allow the exploration of a new approach to collecting imaging data.

“The agreement marks an exciting new chapter for AAO Macquarie, as our team of experts can expand their skills and remits to support the growing interest in space exploration.”

This is a unique mission involving only Australian parties and kick-starts Macquarie’s participation in the NewSpace era of agile space technology development.

AAO Macquarie has several other innovative space-related projects currently underway with Australian industry and defence organisations. This includes a partnership with a Sydney-based company to design custom optical components that will land on the moon in 2025.

 Learn more about AAO Macquarie’s work.

Distinguished Professor Michelle Leishman’s groundbreaking research into invasive plants and pathogens, climate change impacts and adaptation and urban greening received the Excellence in Biological Sciences (Ecological, environmental, agricultural and organismal) Award at this year’s NSW Premier’s Prizes for Science and Engineering.

The Premier’s Prizes recognise excellence in science and engineering and reward leading researchers for innovative work that generates economic, environmental, health, social and technological benefits for New South Wales.

Leishman, from the School of Natural Sciences, leads the Smart Green Cities collaborative research hub at Macquarie. Her research has been translated into policy advice for practitioners and government, and includes the development of online tools for weed management, climate change adaptation and climate-smart species selection for urban greening. She has worked with industry to develop the Gardening Responsibly certification scheme, a national program to promote low invasion-risk plants for the horticultural trade.

Leishman, who is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales, also received the NSW Royal Society 2020 Clarke Medal for Botany and was named the 2021 Eminent Ecologist Award Winner by the Journal of Ecology. She has attracted more than $22 million in research funding and has over 190 publications, attracting 18,800 citations, with an h-index of 57. Her publications have appeared in high impact journals, including Nature and Science.

A trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust and Chair of the Australian Institute of Botanical Science Advisory Council, she is also on the Board of Bush Heritage Australia and an elected council member of the Australian Flora Foundation.

Leishman says that receiving this honour highlights the significance of the research she does on threats to biodiversity including climate change and invasive plants and pathogens.

“I am very honoured to receive this award and to be among so many other scientists and engineers recognised for their work. The NSW Premier’s Prizes for Science and Engineering are fantastic recognition of the exciting and important research done across a range of fields in science and engineering.”

It can tolerate heat, drought, even salinity, with new research revealing genes that could improve stress tolerance in the two species of cultivated rices that nearly five billion people rely on for their staple diet.

The full genetic code of Australian native rice Oryza australiensis has been published in Scientific Reports by a team led by Macquarie University.

Oryza australiensis grows across the tropical monsoon areas of northern Australia. It is one of four native Australian rices.

“This rice can grow up to three metres tall during the monsoon season,” says Honorary Professor Brian Atwell from the School of Natural Sciences. “Then in the dry season, its roots can survive through extreme heat and drought,” says Atwell.

“We’ve been interested in the survivability tricks of this native rice for many years,” he says. “But it has been challenging to tease out its secrets. The genome is twice the size of domesticated rice and much of it is in repeat sequences, so-called junk DNA.”

“Piecing together the genome was somewhat like doing a jigsaw puzzle of a polar bear on the ice during a snowstorm,” he explains.

Rice evolved about 45 million years ago. Today, there are 25 species of rice but only two have been domesticated: O. sativa in China more than 6000 years ago; and O. glaberrima in West Africa about 3000 years ago.

Most rice production now depends on a few high-yield strains of O. sativa. Australian wild rices evolved millions of years ago and, because of their ability to survive extreme conditions, they represent vast reservoirs of untapped genetic variation that could be harnessed for domestic rice improvement.

It’s a timely discovery, Atwell says: rice growers around the world are facing a range of climate challenges. Growers in Bangladesh are being challenged by salinity, Vietnamese growers are coping with higher summer temperatures, and water availability is always an issue in Australia.

“Now we have a complete genome, researchers around the world can use the knowledge in several ways: to create a new domesticated Australian rice; to determine how far we can push conventional rice breeding; or to modify conventional rice by introducing Australian rice genes to give it greater stress tolerance.”

The research was funded by Macquarie University with support from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture.

Five Macquarie University researchers awarded prestigious DECRA Fellowships

Congratulations to Macquarie University researchers, Dr Zixin Huang, Dr Jean-Simon Lemay, Dr Hamid Karimi-Rouzbahani, Dr Emma Burns and Dr Daozhi Xu on being awarded highly competitive DECRA Fellowships from the Australian Research Council with a total award of $2,007,289.

Dr Zixin Huang’s project ‘Quantum-enabled super-resolution imaging’ will aim to design large scale, quantum-enabled imaging systems to boost the resolution of state-of-the-art instruments by three to five orders of magnitude.

Dr Jean-Simon Lemay will investigate ‘New foundations for algebraic geometry’ which aims to use differential categories to create new foundations for algebraic geometry, and to generate new knowledge on the connection between algebraic and differential geometry.

Dr Hamid Karimi-Rouzbahani will research ‘Characterising brain networks of intelligence through information tracking’. The outcomes of this project will be fundamental insights into the mechanisms of human intelligence and new connectivity analysis software that will have wide application in brain research.

Dr Emma Burns will investigate ‘The power of teacher-student relationships to optimise student outcomes’, aiming to determine how teacher-student relationships support adolescents’ motivation, engagement, and achievement in mathematics, science and English.

Dr Daozhi Xu will explore ‘Chinese Australian writing on indigenous country’. This project will produce the first major study of Chinese Australian writing about indigenous people, culture, and country from the 19th century to the present.

Nationally, 200 DECRAs were funded, outcomes can be viewed on RMS.

Competitive Phase-A study in adaptive optics to include Australian Astronomical Optics

Congratulations to Professor Jon Lawrence, Dr Michael Goodwin, Tony Farrell, Helen McGregor, Dr Jessica Zheng, and Lew Waller from Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO-Macquarie), who have finalised an agreement with the US consortium AURA to conduct a competitive Phase A study for an adaptive optics bench for the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii.

The adaptive optics bench is a significant component for the Gemini North Adaptive Optics project that will provide the Gemini North telescope with a state-of-the-art adaptive optics facility enabling the capability to obtain very high resolution near-infrared images over almost the entire sky. This will allow targeting of distant galaxies to study their formation and evolution, back to a time in the early universe when galaxies were first forming. It will also allow astronomers to gain insight into the physics of star formation within the Milky Way galaxy.

The Phase A study will be led by AAO-Macquarie representing the Astralis Instrumentation Consortium with Astralis partner ANU and their investigator Franois Rigaut; as well as international partners the French Aerospace Lab ONERA, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique and the French company ALPAO.

A number of international teams are competing in this 12-month Phase A study. At the conclusion of the study, AURA will select one team for the contract for final design and construction of the facility.

Anniversary and accolades for MindSpot

On 10 October, Macquarie’s pioneering online mental health clinic, MindSpot, celebrated its 10^th anniversary. Two days later, Executive Director Professor Nick Titov was presented with an Exceptional Contribution Award at The MHS Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand.

The MindSpot team celebrated with stakeholders and supporters at a virtual event hosted by Deputy Vice Chancellor (Medicine and Health) Professor Patrick McNeil.

Professor Titov received the award in recognition of his ongoing contribution to mental health research and treatment.

This latest honour comes on the heels of a Training Excellence Award for MindSpot Academy at the 2022 Australian Business Awards. The academy was launched in 2020 and is the only program in the world to offer a specialised digital mental health clinical training pathway for mental health professionals.

Formed in 2012, MindSpot is not-for-profit service that has built a reputation as a world leader in the online mental health space, and has provided free assistance to more than 200,000 Australians experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, chronic pain and substance abuse.

As well as providing online and telephone treatment, MindSpot has a range of resources available on its website, including the recently launched The Big Five, which provides advice on the keys to maintaining good mental health.

Telstra Digital Health Award for Johanna Westbrook

Professor Johanna Westbrook, Director of the Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, has been named as one of the 2022 Telstra Brilliant Women in Digital Health and Aged Care. Johanna is known for her research on the effectiveness and safety of clinical IT systems in hospitals and in aged care. She has recently built on her groundbreaking work on the effects of electronic medical management systems (eMM) in adult hospitals with the completion of the largest and most comprehensive study of eMM in paediatric hospitals.

Responsible Gardening program named finalist in 2022 New South Wales Sustainability Awards

Congratulations to the Gardening Responsibly Team, including Distinguished Professor Michelle Leishman from the School of Natural Sciences, for being recognised as Finalists in the 2022 NSW Sustainability Awards, in the NSW Small and Medium Enterprise Transformation Award category. Distinguished Professor Leishman is the program’s Expert Advisor and led the development of the plant risk assessment tool that underpins the program.

The collaborative initiative takes a groundbreaking approach to finding and promoting plants with a low risk of becoming invasive weeds, allowing industry to add-value to current sales and demonstrate their strong commitment to sustainability and the protection of the environment.

Winners of the NSW Sustainability Awards will be announced on 25 October at the Gala Awards night.

Best Article Award for Centre for Emotional Health researcher

Dr Natasha Magson from the Centre for Emotional Health has been awarded the Emerging Scholar Best Article Award for 2022 from the Journal of Youth and Adolescence for her paper, Risk and Protective Factors for Prospective Changes in Adolescent Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The paper was mentioned in Time Magazine and has already been cited more than 630 times since it was published last year.

Kelly was born in Hull in the United Kingdom. She says Hull is famous for being a “City of Culture” where residents are fiercely proud of their town, but they also look forward to leaving and spreading their wings.

Kelly studied at the University of Hull and commenced her education career working as a Learning Mentor at the Hull School of Art and Design. She left Hull and moved to Australia back in 2009, making the move permanent by becoming an Australian citizen during the 2020 lockdown. She’s kept her strong Yorkshire accent and is yet to be converted to a Vegemite lover.

Kelly started at Macquarie in 2017, working primarily as the Outreach Coordinator for the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

“Given my background in contemporary literature and film, I am still unsure how this came about, but I am happy it did as they are an amazing group of people to work with and I have learned so much. Seriously, Physics and Astronomy is so awesome!” says Kelly.

This year, she moved to the Faculty office in FSE working with the FSE Outreach and Engagement Team and she’s recently taken an exciting secondment as the Faculty Project Coordinator working with the Faculty Executive Director on strategic initiatives.

1. Something you’d like staff to know about

The return of Astronomy Open Night! After a two-year pause, we brought back the huge event at Macquarie, giving our university and local community the opportunity to discover the wonders of the night sky. The night was a great success and sold out well in advance. It was wonderful for our community to come together on campus for such a special evening.

Pictured: Astronomy Open Night 2022. Image credit: Kelly Sharpless and Twitter user @cosmicrami. 

2. A person you admire at Macquarie, and why

I really admire my former Department Manager, Emma Hastings. I valued her leadership style which allowed me to use my strengths while developing my skills. She remains someone I turn to for advice. I really learned a lot from my time working with her.

3. What you need to do your best work

The chance to be creative and explore new ideas.

4. The coolest bit of equipment you use in your work, and what it does

I have been so lucky to work with the greatest team of technical wizards in Physics and Astronomy. To see behind the scenes at the observatory, to gain access to the labs, and to have a hand in making our “world famous” liquid nitrogen ice cream is something I truly appreciate. So, while I may not use the equipment, I love to organise outreach and engagement experiences that show everyone how incredibly cool Physics and Astronomy is.

5. Something you’ve read recently that has had an impact on you

As a huge Star Wars fangirl, I recently read all of Carrie Fisher’s memoirs. Leia is an icon of strength and determination and so important to many girls growing up when I did. Carrie Fisher writes of her personal battles with addiction and mental health issues with wit and humour but also sadness. It shows just how strong she truly was, even while feeling so lost in herself.

6. Your definition of success

When I have been able to help others to achieve their goals.

7. Where you live and what you like about living there

I moved to the Central Coast six years ago and live in the most lovely, friendly neighbourhood. Even though the commute is long, it is worth it.

8. A personal quality you value in others

Compassion and respect for others.

9. Something you’re trying to do differently in 2022

Professionally: To work more efficiently and to think more strategically. Personally: To work my way through my ever-growing collection of audiobooks.

10. I’m happiest when…

I’m with my family, eating good food, and watching Star Wars.

The NSW Government has committed $4.5 million to the ‘Project Restore’ initiative, which will help restore Sydney Harbour to bring back lost biodiversity and improve carbon sequestration.

Researchers from Macquarie University will work with colleagues at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) to further enhance Sydney Harbour’s biodiversity by helping restore kelp and seagrass as well as the installation of Living Seawalls panels – a global project that is using novel ecological engineering methods to convert built structures into the natural marine environments they once were.

“The rapid development of coastal cities create wide reaching impacts on the marine environment and restoration requires a whole of seascape approach to be truly meaningful,” says Living Seawalls Co-lead Associate Professor Katherine Dafforn.

Pictured L to R: The Living Seawalls team: Dr Aria Lee (Research Assistant), Associate Professor Melanie Bishop (Co-Leader), Dr Katherine Dafforn (Co-Leader), Dr Mariana Mayer Pinto (Co-Leader) and Dr Maria Vozzo (Project Manager)

Living Seawalls Co-lead Associate Professor Melanie Bishop says the team are “very excited by this opportunity to revive marine life in Sydney Harbour and develop a global best-practice template for seascape restoration.”

The Living Seawalls project was last year announced as a finalist in the international Earthshot environment prizes, recognised for its potential to improve declining marine biodiversity in the face of rapidly increasing global sea-floor construction for seawalls and wharves, power and aquaculture infrastructure, cables and tunnels worldwide.

A new two year study from the Living Seawalls team, featured in The Lighthouse has shown living seawalls promote regeneration in Sydney Harbour.

“Our research assessed how biodiversity on the seawall panels changed through time, and varied according to the type of 3D geometry provided by the panels,” says Associate Professor Bishop.

“We found that 115 different species colonised the wall over a two-year period – comparable to the number of species that we see on natural rocky reefs, and about 20 per cent greater than what we see on unmodified sea walls,” she says.