Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment

School of Life and Environmental Sciences

Dr Rebecca Lester
  Phone   +61 3 556 33330
Email   rebecca.lester@deakin.edu.au
Position   Lecturer
Campus   Warrnambool
Research grouping   Marine and Freshwater Science
Centre for Integrative Ecology

My research interests include ecosystem ecology, particularly in aquatic ecosystems, ecological
restoration & natural resource management, with an emphasis on applied techniques suitable for use
outside conservation reserves & large spatial scales. I am interested in the function & structure of
whole ecosystems & in the development of management strategies that incorporate good ecological outcomes
with human activities. I enjoy using ecological modelling & statistics to solve complex ecological
problems & apply my knowledge of biological, physical & chemical processes to my research.

Research interests

  1. Management of aquatic ecosystems
  2. Ecological response modelling
  3. Restoration ecology


Career

Lecturer, Freshwater Biology, Deakin University
Research Scientist, CSIRO Land and Water
Postdoctoral Fellow, Flinders University

Key publications

Lester, RE & Fairweather, PG (2011) Ecosystem states: Creating a data-derived, ecosystem-scale ecological response model that is explicit in space & time Ecological Modelling 222, 2690-2703

Fairweather, PG & Lester RE (2010) Predicting future ecological degradation based on modelled thresholds Marine Ecology Progress Series 413, 291–304

Kingsford, RT, Walker, KF, Lester, RE, Fairweather, PG, Sammut, J & Geddes, MC (2011) Solving an engineered crisis in a Ramsar wetland: the Coorong, Lower Lakes & Murray Mouth, Australia Marine and Freshwater Research 62, 255–265

Lester, RE, Wright, W & Jones-Lennon, M (2007) Does adding wood to agricultural streams enhance biodiversity? An experimental approach Marine and Freshwater Research 58, 687–698

Higgins, AJ, Bryan, BA, Overton, IC, Holland, K, Lester, RE, King, D, Nolan, M & Connor, JD (2011) Integrated modelling of cost-effective siting & operation of flow-control infrastructure for river ecosystem conservation Water Resources Research 47, W05519

View entire list of audited publications

Professional activities

Treasurer, Australian Society for Limnology
Member, Ecological Society of Australia
Member, Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand
Member, Australian Marine Sciences Association.

 

PhD students

Student nameThesis title
Steve WicksonLaval ecology of Lectrides varians Ryan BaringEcological role of floating wrack in marine ecosystems  

 

Honours students

Student nameThesis title Kim PappinQuantifying scavenger assemblages in marine, freshwater & estuarine ecosystems Daniel DavisAssessing streamside restoration works in Western Victoria  

 

Teaching areas

Freshwater biology
Aquatic ecology
Hydrology


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

8th February 2013