Dr Wilkinson has received one of the prestigious awards for a project titled A bioinformatics approach to assessing diversity and hybridization in coral symbionts. The awards provide early career support to New Zealand’s most promising young researchers.
The award includes a $75,000 stipend per year for the next two years, plus up to $10,000 each year for research related costs.
“Global climate change is having a devastating effect on the world’s coral reefs, with declines predicted to escalate sharply in the near future,” says Dr Wilkinson. “This creates severe socio-economic impacts, including the loss of food security, coastal stability and tourism income for many of the world’s most vulnerable people.
“Coral reefs are complex systems so it’s important to understand how the entire system evolves and adapts to environmental change to assist corals in developing resilience to changing conditions.”
“I've been mad about science since I was a kid, when my Dad taught me to dive and appreciate the ocean. We know very little about its millions of inhabitants and how they interact with each other, and I'm hoping that a better understanding will help us to respect and protect our marine environment,” says Dr Wilkinson.
The Head of Victoria’s School of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor Simon Davy, is proud of Shaun’s achievement.
“He’s an exceptional young scientist, and his project will provide important information on the evolution and adaptive capacity of corals in the face of climate change”.
Shaun graduated with a PhD from Victoria and is pleased to be continuing with this post-doctoral studies at the University.
“The School of Biological Sciences is a wonderful place to study. There is a really collegial atmosphere, and no one hesitates to provide a little extra help or advice to a researcher in need. The academic staff have a tremendous amount of expertise, and encourage students to develop a broad range of skills, leaving them well equipped for a career in science.”