Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment

School of Life and Environmental Sciences

Assoc Prof Kate Buchanan
  Phone   +61 3 522 71321
Email   kate.buchanan@deakin.edu.au
Position   Associate Professor
Campus   Geelong
Research grouping   Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Ecophysiology, Sensory Ecology and Behaviour
Centre for Integrative Ecology

I gained my B.Sc. Zoology from the University of Glasgow in 1989 and my Ph.D. from Royal
Holloway University of London in 1997, working with Prof Clive Catchpole. After 2 postdocs at
University of Stirling I held a Personal Research Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the
Exhibition of 1851 at Cardiff University. I was a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer there from 2003 - early
2008 when I moved across the globe to take up a position at Deakin University, based at
the Geelong campus.

Research interests

  1. Neural control of acoustic signalling and perception
  2. Physiological stress and endocrine disruption
  3. Endocrine control of begging behaviour


Image above: Autoradiograph of zebra finch brain imaged to show expression of IEG SNAP, June 2010

Career

Senior Lecturer, Cardiff University UK, 2003-2007
Research fellowship, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, Cardiff University UK, 2001-2003
Postdoctoral Researcher, Stirling University UK, 1997-2001
Ph.D. Royal Holloway University of London UK, 1993-1997
B.Sc. University of Glasgow UK, 1989

Key publications

Woodgate, J.L. M.M. Mariette, A.T.D. Bennett, S C. Griffith and K.L. Buchanan (2012) Male song structure predicts reproductive success in a wild zebra finch population Animal Behaviour 83, 773-781

Roberts, M.L., K.L. Buchanan, A.R. Goldsmith and M.R. Evans (2012) The role of testosterone in bib size determination in the house sparrow is age dependent Journal of Avian Biology DOI 10.1111/j.1600-048X.2012.05571.x, Online early 8th May

Markman, S., D. Pascoe, C. T. Müller, A. Dawson and K. L. Buchanan (2011) Pollutants affect the development in nestling starlings Sturnus vulgaris Journal of Applied Ecology 48, 391-397

Buchanan K.L, A. R. Goldsmith, C. A. Hinde, S. C. Griffith and R. M. Kilner (2007) Does testosterone mediate the trade-off between nestling begging and growth in the canary (Serinus canaria)? Hormones and Behavior 52, 664-671

Goodship, N.M.and Buchanan, K.L (2007) Nestling testosterone controls begging behaviour in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca Hormones and Behaviour 52, , 454-460.

View entire list of audited publications

Professional activities

Editor of Emu Austral Ornithology
Member of Council, Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Secretary of the Ethics Committee, member of the Grants Committee, Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Consulting Editor for Animal Behaviour

 

Postdoctoral fellows

NameProject title
Mathew BergEvolution of the crimson rosella complex, Platycercus elegans Joseph WoodgateEvolution of female preferences and avian foraging  

 

PhD students

Student nameThesis title
Adam CardiliniPopulation processes in the invasive starling Milla MihailovaOlfaction and signalling in the rosella Justin EastwoodBeak and feather disease in rosellas  

 

Teaching areas

Sensory Neurobiology and Behaviour
Animal Behaviour
Honours projects in avian physiology, ecology and behaviour


Deakin University acknowledges the traditional land owners of present campus sites.

8th February 2013